Will Harris


William Taylor Harris is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball. He previously played in MLB for the Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Houston Astros. He was drafted by the Rockies in the ninth round of the 2006 MLB draft, and made his major league debut in 2012. He played college baseball for Louisiana State University.

Early life

Harris played baseball at Slidell High School in Slidell, Louisiana. He attended Louisiana State University and played collegiate baseball for LSU Tigers. In 2004, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.

Professional career

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies selected Harris in the ninth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft. They promoted him to the majors for the first time on August 11, 2012. He made his major league debut on August 13.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On April 3, 2013, the Oakland Athletics claimed Harris off waivers from the Colorado Rockies. The Arizona Diamondbacks claimed Harris off waivers from the Oakland Athletics three days later.

Houston Astros

On November 3, 2014, Harris was claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros.
Harris was invited to his first All-Star Game in 2016 with the Houston Astros. He finished the season with an ERA of 2.25 in 66 appearances and 12 saves.
The following season, he was limited to 46 games during the regular season due to injury. He appeared in six games in the 2017 postseason. In a combined total of four innings, he allowed six hits and one run. The Astros won the 2017 World Series, the first time the team won it.
In 2018, Harris pitched in 61 games, going 5–3 with an ERA of 3.49. On August 3, 2019, Harris worked in relief, in a no-hit shutout of the Seattle Mariners. The final score was 9–0. Harris pitched an immaculate inning in relief in the eighth inning versus the Los Angeles Angels on September 27, 2019. In 2019, he was 4–1 with four saves and a 1.50 ERA, as in 68 relief appearances he pitched 60 innings and struck out 62 batters.

Washington Nationals

On January 3, 2020, the Washington Nationals announced they had signed Harris to a three-year guaranteed contract reportedly worth $24 million.

Scouting report

Harris throws three pitches — a four-seam fastball in the mid 90s, a cutter in the low 90's, and a curveball in the upper 70s.

Personal life

Harris has one older brother, Clay, and one younger brother, Dylan. Clay was an infielder at LSU from 2002 through 2005, and played in the Philadelphia Phillies’ minor league system.