June 9, 2010
View Archived Issues/Subscribe to Commodore Nation
As a four-year starter at Montgomery Bell Academy, just a few miles from Vanderbilt’s campus, Brian Harris did everything you could have asked a high school player to do. He led his team to a state championship, and he earned all-state honors. But at 5’8″, 160 pounds, Harris wasn’t given much of a chance to succeed on the diamond at the college level.
While recruitment letters came flocking in to other all-state performers across the state, the postal employee who delivered the mail to Harris’ home saw no additional workload.
At his height, he drew little notice beyond that of a few junior colleges. He contacted schools including Samford and Belmont, but interest was not reciprocated. Instead, he decided to make the short trip down West End Avenue as a walk-on at Vanderbilt, where his father, Robert lettered from 1976-79.
“(Vanderbilt assistant coach) Derek Johnson called me and told me they had a spot for me, and that was all I really needed to hear,” said Harris, whose childhood dream was to suit up for the Black and Gold. “Initially, I just wanted to be a part of the program and try to work my way up.”
Harris would be joined in his freshman class by the likes of Pedro Alvarez and Ryan Flaherty. He would redshirt his first year with Andrew Giobbi, who shares the role with Harris of being the only two fifth-year seniors on the roster.
Harris has come a long way since being overlooked by so many schools. As a junior, the shortstop earned All-SEC accolades.
“I just think he has put a lot of time into the game,” Head Coach Tim Corbin said. “His younger brother (Andrew, a redshirt freshman on the team) follows the same type of plan, having a workman-like approach to every day. He has never in his mind thought that he is not an SEC player or SEC starter.”
Harris credits his redshirt season as being vital to his overall growth as a player and as a person. For one, he spent a lot of time in the weight room and for the first time, he learned about proper nutrition. He has gained more than 20 pounds to his frame since he arrived on campus.
“Once I actually put on the weight, I saw a dramatic difference in how I actually played baseball,” Harris said. “I think a lot of people look at redshirting as a bad thing, but for me I looked at it as a good opportunity for me to get better so I could contribute.”
One of the quickest ways Harris knew he could contribute was on defense. In an era of home runs, Harris is the type of throwback player who would rather make a diving stop than hit a line shot.
“I’ve just always taken pride in defense,” Harris said. “It is something I feel like I’m good at. I felt like that was the main way I could contribute to the team.”
His defensive prowess has enabled him to play third, second and short at Vanderbilt. He has settled in at shortstop and last year was part of the league’s All-Defense team.
“From the get-go he’s had very good confidence in his hands, and it is probably his biggest tool,” Corbin said. “If he had to play third base, he’d be our best third baseman. (Jason) Esposito is a heck of a player, but his hands are of that of a goaltender. He is really quick, very reactive.
“I just think he’s got tremendous reflexes to the ball with his hands. He’s spent a lot of time on that, and that’s the part of the game where he has shown the most confidence.”
It’s a confidence that Corbin has seen in Harris since his redshirt season.
“When we redshirted him, he would tell me he has the best hands on the team,” Corbin said. “I would tell him, ‘You think you do?’ And he would tell me ‘I know I do.’ You could laugh that off, but there was some believability in what he was thinking. He just took that believability and made himself a very good player.”
Harris’ defensive game was always there, but his offense took time to develop. He hit .283 in 46 at bats as a freshman, dropped to .268 in more regular time as a sophomore and batted .299 as a junior. This season, his average has consistently been around .300. Even more impressive than his average has been his on-base percentage. Harris gets on base close to 50 percent of the time he steps to the plate.
His high on-base percentage has not come easily … or pain-free. He has been hit by more pitches than any player in the SEC the last two years and more times than any player in baseball this season (36).
“You have to realize how difficult it is to stand in the batter’s box and wear baseballs on a continual manner and not get hurt,” Corbin said. “There is a skill set to that, too.”
Vanderbilt has had many solid players at the top of the lineup, but Corbin believes Harris may be the best plate-setter he’s coached at Vanderbilt.
“He’s as good of a leadoff hitter as we’ve had here in terms of numbers and in terms of getting on base,” Corbin said. “He just takes on a leadership role of a leadoff hitter as it should be played out. He’s just someone who gets deep into the count and is not fearful of hitting with two strikes.”
His rise at the plate can be credited to the countless blisters and stingers he’s received from hours spent in the batting cage. It can also be credited to his maturity and experience.
“When I was a freshman or sophomore, I didn’t really have a good approach at the plate,” Harris said. “The older I got, I developed that approach. It was working, and I just tried to stick with it. I would go to the cages every day and work on it.”
Developing the same approach has led to an unprecedented level of consistency from Harris.
“You get very few days when he doesn’t do well,” Corbin said. “He is very consistent in what he does. He brings the same approach to the ballpark every day. He has a very good energy for the game every day. We lean on him hard. I just think he has been a sponge the last few years where he has picked up on the opponent and understands what it takes to be successful in this league.”
The drive Harris has shown to get better stems from when he arrived on campus as a walk-on and was surrounded by a core of future professionals such as David Price, Casey Weathers and Pedro Alvarez. As a walk-on, Harris took it upon himself to prove to others that he belonged at this level.
“I just needed to prove I belong,” Harris said. “Anytime you are in that walk-on situation, you kind of want to prove that you think you can play with these guys and compete in the SEC. The goal that you constantly have as a younger player, especially as a walk-on, is to prove you can compete.”
Corbin noticed Harris’ work ethic from the onset. The extra ground balls, the extra rounds in the cage and the extra time studying the game has paid off. But even when Harris began to get more time in the lineup and eventually became a starter in 2009, he never let off the gas.
“He is just one of those kids that is never satisfied,” Corbin said. “That’s probably the thing that drives him most is that he is never satisfied in how he is doing. Sometimes I talk to him about that and how he can beat himself up. I also know that is a strength because that is what motivates him to be better.”
The never-satisfied approach that Harris brings to the ballpark every day is something that is ingrained in his personality.
“I think just being a perfectionist at heart is kind of the foundation of that attitude,” Harris said. “I think that when I was younger, I wasn’t as much of a perfectionist because I knew I had to work my way up and I was going to fail more than I succeeded. When I started to succeed, I just wanted to keep on getting better and better. Just competing is not enough, I want to excel at the highest level I possibly can.”
Harris has excelled in college and has wiped away all those doubters from high school. He’s done it with hard work, a positive attitude and a belief in himself.
“I always believed that I could contribute to this program,” Harris said. “I just had the mindset that I could contribute eventually in my time here at Vanderbilt. That vision and motivation kept me going to get better.”
