Matt Harrison Stats & Scouting Report

IP	668
ERA	4.217
WHIP	1.404
BB/9	3.153
SO/9	5.497

Full name Matthew Reid Harrison
Born 09/16/1985 in Durham, NC
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 240 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School South Granville
Debut 07/08/2008
Drafted in the 3rd round (97th overall) by the Atlanta Braves in 2003 (signed for $395,000).

View Draft Report

Harrison likely will get drafted ahead of Bard because he's expected to sign if he gets drafted in the first five rounds. He has some advantages over Bard: he's a little bigger (6-foot-4, 185 pounds), lefthanded and has more feel for pitching. He was only a mild prospect entering 2003, but then his fastball jumped from 85-86 mph to 88-93. He has a hard, slurvy breaking ball and an average changeup. The combination has been too much for his opponents, as he has thrown a perfect game and a no-hitter and has two other contests where he didn't permit a ball to be hit out of the infield. Though he's lanky, he's more athletic than he looks.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Harrison did not pitch for the Rangers after being acquired as part of last July's Mark Teixeira trade with the Braves because he had developed a nasty case of turf toe that affected his delivery, leading to shoulder irritation. He changed from a no-windup delivery to a full windup in an effort to add velocity, but the Rangers decided to shut him down until the Arizona Fall League, where a healthy Harrison went 5-0, 2.00 in 27 innings. Harrison's biggest strength is his excellent feel for pitching and ability to work all quadrants of the strike zone. His four-pitch mix includes an average 88-93 mph fastball and an average changeup that he throws in any count. He also throws two breaking balls: a slurve with darting three-quarters break and a big, slow 71-75 curveball that is more of a show pitch. Harrison has a big, physical frame and pitches downhill from a three-quarters arm slot. He's not a great athlete and his body is maxed out, so his ceiling is probably as a No. 3 starter, though he's more likely a No. 4 or No. 5. Added to the 40-man roster in November, he figures to advance to Triple-A to start the season and could see the big leagues sometime in 2008.
The Braves cited Harrison as their breakthrough pitcher of 2005, and he maintained his momentum in 2006. He led Atlanta farmhands in ERA, reached Double-A before he turned 21 and now ranks as the system's top mound prospect. It seems like every quality lefthanded pitching prospect must be likened to Tom Glavine, but that comparison seems more legitimate when applied to Harrison. He's adept at using both sides of the plate and altering the batter's eye level. He delivers a heavy fastball between 89-92 mph and does an excellent job of keeping it down in the zone. His above-average curveball breaks at times like a slider. Harrison also has a plus changeup that he uses at any time in the count. Harrison admits he gave Double-A hitters too much credit and wasn't aggressive enough following his midseason promotion. He needs to continue to learn how to mix his pitches in order to keep batters off balance. Harrison, who has No. 3 starter potential, could open 2007 in Triple-A, where he'd be knocking on the door to the big leagues.
Harrison is coming off the biggest breakthrough season of any starting pitcher in the system. After two years in short-season ball, he focused on keeping his fastball down in the strike zone and limiting the number of pitches he threw instead of trying to blow away every hitter. The results were impressive, as one scout said Harrison had the highest ceiling of any pitcher in the South Atlantic League. Harrison's fastball sits in the upper 80s and tops out at 93 mph. He mixes it well with an average changeup and a quality curveball he refined over the course of the season. It's his pinpoint command that sets him apart and impresses scouts. He displays a great feel for pitching, and no Braves farmhand can match his command. At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Harrison possesses great size for a 20-year-old lefty, and that and his free and easy delivery give him workhorse potential. While he commands three pitches, Harrison needs to improve the overall quality of all three offerings. He'll work on that in high Class A this year under the guidance of organizational pitching guru Bruce Dal Canton.

Minor League Top Prospects

It seems like every quality lefthanded pitching prospect must be likened to Tom Glavine, but that comparison seems more legitimate when applied to Harrison. He features an upper-80s fastball that peaks at 93 mph, a quality curveball and a plus changeup. His fastball is heavy, inducing a lot of ground balls. As good as his downer curveball is, his changeup is even better and rated second behind only Lofgren's in the league this year. Harrison's delivery is free and easy, and he can locate all three pitches to either side of the plate. "When we saw him, I was most impressed with his ability to command the fastball, command the curveball," Wilmington manager Chad Epperson said. "Then he broke out that changeup in the third inning, and I quickly changed my mind."
The Braves system sent several reinforcements to the majors throughout the season, and several prospects emerged at Rome to replenish the organization's depth. Chief among them was Harrison. Lean and athletic, he pounded the strike zone with three quality pitches he could throw at any time in the count. One AL scout said Harrison had the highest ceiling of any pitcher in the league and compared him to Dodgers prospect Greg Miller circa 2003, when Miller was the best lefty prospect in the game and had yet to undergo a pair of shoulder surgeries. The scout cited Harrison's command, which he said could be a future 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale, and said he had seen him throw three pitches that presently graded above-average at times. Harrison's 87-90 mph fastball can touch 93, and he also works with a curveball and changeup. "I think he will have plus pitches, and 30 walks in 167 innings, that's unheard of at this level," Epperson said. "If you had told the Braves before the year you thought he would do that, they would have chuckled. You take a young guy with a very clean delivery like that, you know he can get stronger and his stuff will get better."