Checking In On Former Twin Brendan Harris
By Ben Noble
Part of the Delmon Young–Matt Garza trade, Brendan Harris was a slow-footed Twins infielder who had basically one solid starting season in Tampa before starting 238 games over the next two-plus season in Minnesota. From Queensbury, Harris led his team to the 1998 New York state baseball tournament, before playing his college ball at William and Mary. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Cubs, and also played in the majors and minors for Cincinnati and the Montreal/Washington franchises before coming over to the Twins at age 27.
Last we saw him…
Hitting a home run against Kevin Correia in the third inning of the Twins win over the Angels on April 15. If you missed that game, you might last remember Harris when he was sent down to Rochester in mid June of 2010 after hitting .157 with four extra base hits in 120 plate appearances.
What he’s been up to since
He was traded that winter along with JJ Hardy to Baltimore for relievers Jim Hoey and Brett Jacobson. Hardy has hit 55 home runs in just over two seasons since joining the Orioles as their starting shortstop; Hoey hasn’t pitched in the majors since leaving the Twins, and Jacobson is on the roster of the Class-A Tri-City Dust Devils. Harris spent all of the next two seasons in AAA, first in the Baltimore organization, then at Colorado Springs after signing as a minor league free agent with the Rockies.
What he’s doing now
He’s the Angels starting shortstop, at least for the time being. Harris signed another minor league deal with the Angels this offseason with an invitation to spring training, making the team as a utility infielder after hitting .250. Primarily used as a pinch hitter to begin the season, an injury to Erick Aybar has meant that Harris has started the past nine games for the Angels, collecting eight hits over that span. Aybar is expected to return next week.
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