Prospect Profile: Matt Harrison

Name: Matt Harrison
Age: 20
Pos: SP
Height: 6-4
Weight: 221
Bats: L
Throws: L

History:
Matt was selected by the Braves in the 3rd round (97th overall) of the 2003 draft out of high school in North Carolina. Matt started his pro career in the gulf coast league and pitched pretty well. He was 3-1 with a 3.69 ERA in 11 games (6 starts). He struck out 33 in 39 innings and walked 9. The Braves made him a full-time starter in 2004 at Danville where he went 4-4 with a 4.09 ERA. His ERA went up but his HR/9, BB/9, and WHIP all went down. Harrison was then promoted to Rome in 2005 and had a standout year. He won 12 games with a 3.23 ERA and had a very small WHIP of 1.08. Harrison's K/9 has decreased every season but strikeouts has never been Harrison's game. Matt doesn't walk many and keeps the ball in the ballpark.

Current:
Matt's 2006 season with Myrtle Beach has been even better than his previous years as he was selected to the all-star team. For Myrtle Beach in the first half, Matt went 8-4 with a 3.10 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. He increased his k/9 to 6.67 and lowered his home run rate. Harrison was promoted to Mississippi at the mid-point of the season. He is currently 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA but his last start was very good and he has only given up one homer in 18.1 innings. I expect him to improve his numbers greatly as the season goes on.

Projected:
At this point in Matt Harrison's development, he projects as a starting pitcher in the big leagues. He has succeeded at every level he has been promoted to and will hopefully continue until he gets to Atlanta. As I said earlier, Harrison is not a strikeout pitcher but he strikes out people with more regularity than someone like Horacio Ramirez. I expect that he will eventually be a middle top back of the rotation starter and will likely get a chance at the rotation sometime in 2008.

Year	Team Name	Level	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP
2003	Gulf Coast Braves	Rk	3	1	3.69	11	6	39.0	40	18	16	2	9	33	1.26
2004	Danville	Rk	4	4	4.09	13	12	66.0	72	36	30	3	10	49	1.24
2005	Rome	A	12	7	3.23	27	27	167.0	151	65	60	17	30	118	1.08
2006	Myrtle Beach	A+	8	4	3.10	13	13	81.1	77	30	28	6	16	60	1.14
2006	Mississippi	AA	0	2	5.40	3	3	18.1	22	12	11	1	4	16	1.44