Archive for the “Mitch Harris” Category

I write a lot about Mitch Harris, but that’s just because I think it is a great story and he usually pops up around this time of the year. The Cardinals drafted Harris in the 13th round of the 2008 draft knowing full well he was committed to the Navy and their required 5-year service term. Four of those five years have passed and Mitch Harris is finally making his way to Spring Training, but will he stick or he have to serve another year? Let’s take a look at the latest news after the jump.
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Kary Booher of the Springfield News-Leader checked in with St. Louis Cardinals draft pick and current US Navy serviceman Mitch Harris this week.  His article had a lot of great information about the process of Harris transferring to the US Navy reserves and therefore being able to join the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system.  Hit the link and read the whole thing, but there are a lot of interesting new information in the article.  Booher cites three recent transfer requests for a pro football player and two minor league baseball players.

The Reserves have two options that would allow Harris to enter the minor leagues: Active reserve, in which he reports only one weekend a month and two weeks a year; or the Individual Ready Reserve, which doesn’t require either.
Harris, who applied for the transfer in November 2009, said he recently learned that his roughly 20-page request package had reached the Chief of Naval Operations, the Navy’s highest ranking officer. The CNO reports directly to the Secretary of the Navy.
Basically, it means Harris is two OKs away from entering the Cardinals’ system.
If green-lighted, Harris would enter spring training next March at age 25.
Harris will spend the next few months working out in anticipation that the Navy might grant the transfer and clear the way for his first spring training in March.

Age 25 is the slightest bit too old for a prospect and it is obvious from the start that Mitch Harris will not be your run of the mill prospect when he is able to join the Cardinals farm system.  He’ll be 25 this year or 28 when his full 5 year commitment runs out.  He has not played baseball in two years.  What kind of pitcher can the Cardinals expect to see when he arrives?  Kary Booher has a scouting report from Baseball America.

Baseball America’s 2008 scouting report noted that, “(Harris) consistently pitches in the low-90s. He has plus command of three pitches — fastball, slider and changeup — and all three have potential to be major league average.”

More scouting reports and more from Booher after the jump.

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Per DG, the Cardinals signed Mitch Harris. He will report after duty, which in the Navy equals five years. Meaning, he will be 28 when he starts his professional career, and I have no earthly idea how he will keep of the rust.

Loved the draft pick when it was made, glad he’s in the fold but I’m not sure how this all is supposed to work.

Baseball America ranked Mitch Harris the 2nd best senior draft prospect of 2008, behind only Josh Fields.