This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ATLANTA -- Less than 30 minutes after the Braves’ 2024 season concluded with a Wild Card Series loss to San Diego, manager Brian Snitker was already looking forward to what 2025 could bring. The healthy returns of Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Austin Riley highlight the reasons to be excited for the upcoming season.

So does the thought of what Michael Harris II could do if he remains healthy and productive over the entirety of a 162-game season.

“The biggest thing I want to see out of Michael -- I want to see him play 158 games or more, because we have seen what he's capable of doing on both sides of the ball,” Snitker said. “And it's pretty special.”

Harris’ MLB debut occurred two months into his 2022 National League Rookie of the Year season. A back ailment limited him to 138 games in ’23 and a hamstring strain forced him to the 60-day injured list last summer. And he doesn’t turn 24 until March 7.

Despite the missed time, the young Braves outfielder has already made a strong impression. He ranked No. 4 when MLB Network ranked the game’s top 10 center fielders this week. The three players ahead of him were the Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez, the Padres’ Jackson Merrill and the Twins’ Byron Buxton.

“We’ve seen what [Harris] can do,” Snitker said. “He's a special talent. If we can keep him on the field for 150-plus games, he's got a chance of being a really, really good, strong middle-of-the-lineup guy.”

Harris has hit .285 with 53 homers, 50 steals and a .794 OPS over 362 games through three seasons. He finished one home run shy of a 20-20 season during his rookie year and two homers shy in 2023, but he compiled just 16 homers and 10 steals last season. With the hamstring issue behind him, Harris certainly could bid for a 20-20 season and maybe even a 30-30 campaign.

To get a feel for what Harris might be capable of over an entire season, here is a look at his yearly production:

2022 (114 games): .297 BA, 19 HR, 20 SB, .853 OPS
162-game pace: 27 HR, 28 SB

2023 (138 games): .293 BA, 18 HR, 20 SB, .808 OPS
162-game pace: 21 HR, 23 SB

2024 (110 games): .264 BA, 16 HR, 10 SB, .722 OPS
162-game pace: 23 HR, 14 SB

How remarkable would it have been for Harris to tally three straight 20-20 seasons? Well, only five players have totaled three 20-20 seasons at 23 or younger: Julio Rodríguez (2022-24), Andruw Jones (1998-2000), Alex Rodriguez (1997-99), Cesar Cedeno (1972-74) and Vada Pinson (1959-62).

Injuries also have derailed other young players -- Acuña included -- capable of producing multiple 20-20 seasons early in their careers. But the above numbers highlight why Snitker and others are so excited about what Harris could do as he moves toward the prime of his career.

Harris tweaked his back during the first full week of the 2023 season and then aggravated the ailment while lifting weights. He missed a significant part of April, and he exited June 6 hitting .163 with a .490 OPS. He hit .335 with 16 homers and a .912 OPS over the 100 games that followed.

The exciting center fielder produced a .823 OPS over the 42 games that followed his two-month IL stint last summer.

Will this be the year he puts it all together and shows how elite he can be over an entire season?

“I think Michael is ready to do that,” Snitker said. “I think these last couple of years he's probably learning his body and the grind that the Major League season is.”