Feb. 13, 2008
From Navy Athletic Communications
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Navy baseball right-handed pitcher Mitch Harris has been tabbed as the nation's 29th-best college prospect for the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft, it was announced by Baseball America on Monday. The rankings were compiled by Baseball America through discussions with scouts and represent overall future potential.
Harris ranks as the second-highest collegiate prospect among seniors in this year's draft class. Only Georgia senior right-handed pitcher Joshua Fields placed ahead of Harris, coming in at 27th on the list.
In the 2007 MLB First-Year Player Draft last June, Harris was selected in the 24th round by the Atlanta Braves organization. This past summer, he played in the prestigious Cape Cod League with the Bourne Braves. Facing some of the nation's best collegiate hitters, he started seven contests and boasted a 3.94 ERA in 29.2 innings with 25 strikeouts. With the help of the Navy right-hander, Bourne won the Western Division regular season title with a 25-17-2 record.
During his first-three years in Annapolis, Harris ranks among the program's top-ten pitchers in five career categories and six single-season lists. The right-hander from Mt. Holly, N.C., has struck out 254 batters in 186.1 innings over his career for an average of 12.27 strikeouts per nine innings, more than two higher than the next-best average. The 254 career strikeouts are currently second on the all-time list, 94 shy of the program-record held by Chuck Davis (1959-61). He has totaled 18 wins over the last-two seasons and his career 2.32 earned run average ranks ninth in school history and third since the aluminum bat was allowed in college baseball in 1974. Against Maryland-Eastern Shore in 2006, Harris became just the fifth Navy pitcher in school history to fire a complete-game no-hitter.
The two-time All-American concluded his junior season with an 8-5 record on the mound with a 2.14 ERA over 14 starts, spanning 88.2 innings. During that time, he struck out a Patriot League-record 119 batters and limited the opposition to a meager .181 batting average. The hard-throwing right-hander went at least five innings in all 14 outings, nine of which quality starts (6+ IP and 3- ER). He also struck out more batters than innings pitched in 13 of his 14 visits to the mound in 2007. He was one of only two pitchers in the country to rank among the top-25 pitchers in strikeouts (20th), strikeouts per nine innings (fifth) and earned run average (23rd).
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Harris has also done damage with the bat during his career, as he owns a .303 (140-for-462) batting average with 10 home runs, the eighth-highest total in school history, and 88 RBIs. Last season, Harris hit at a .293 (51-for-174) clip with eight round trippers, the third-best total in program history, and knocked in 47 runs. Against Holy Cross on March 31-April 1, he became the second Navy hitter in school history to belt a home run in three-straight games and the first to do so against Patriot League pitching.
Harris was selected Second-Team All-Patriot League as both a starting pitcher and a designated hitter last May, becoming the first player in school history to earn all-league accolades at two different positions within the same year. One month later, he became the first player in school history to earn ABCA all-region accolades multiple times during his career, as he was first-team selection in 2006 and a second-team member in 2007.
Two months ago, Harris was selected as a candidate for the 2008 Brooks Wallace Award, which is awarded to the nation's top-collegiate player. Last year's Brooks Wallace award went to Vanderbilt pitcher, David Price. Price was the first overall pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft and is pitching in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. The 2006 winner was standout pitcher/designated hitter Brad Lincoln of Houston. Nebraska's Alex Gordon, currently with the Kansas City Royals, took home the 2005 trophy. The inaugural award was given in 2004 to Kurt Suzuki of Cal State Fullerton, who is now catching for the Oakland A's.
Harris and the Midshipmen will begin the 2008 season on Friday, Feb. 22, when they head to Millington, Tenn., to take on Air Force in the Service Academy Spring Classic. Last year, Navy set a school record with 35 wins and advanced to the Patriot League Tournament.
