Alonzo Harris has been a staple in the St. Paul Saints lineup for the last two seasons, occupying the leadoff spot and patrolling center field. His journey to the Saints started in 2007 when he was drafted by the New York Mets in the 39th round.
“I was shagging balls in left field at my senior All-Star game,” Harris said. “When I found out, I really didn’t have any reaction. It was exciting.”
From there, he spent the next eight seasons in the Mets system, with his peak being in 2013 when he batted .218/.285/.305 with 17 doubles and 24 runs batted in for their Double-A team in Binghamton.
“I saw new players from everywhere, guys from the Dominican Republic, basically everybody who is good. Everybody there was the best player on their team. Everybody was good.”
Harris spends a season in independent baseball
At the end of the season, he was released, and signed with the New Jersey Jackals on the independent Can-Am league, where he spent the 2014 season, batting .290/.354/.431 with seven home runs and 52 runs batted in.
He was then picked up by the Miami Marlins and played the last bit of the season with their Single-A team in Jupiter, where he went .094/.216/.188 in just 11 games. He was again released at the end of the season, and caught on with the Saints, where he has been ever since.
“It’s tough, but at the same time it’s part of a career,” Harris said about adjusting to new cities. “Like I said when I was with the Mets, you go to a new team at a different level. Different teams are different people where you don’t necessarily know everybody. Like with the Mets I knew all the coaches. I went to the marlins and knew Marty Scott who was my first professional manager. It’s just all about adjustments”
His first season with the Saints was very successful, as he played 90 games, batting .298/.339/.466 with 15 home runs while leading the Saints to a division title and playoff berth, where they lost to the Sioux City Explorers.
When asked if he has improved since his pro debut, Harris responded “Tremendously I came from Mississippi where my dad always told me see the ball, hit the ball. When I was with the Mets they fine tuned my talent. It’s either you listen or you don’t. It made me a better hitter and better defensive player, and put that together and you're a better ballplayer. I’m more mentally prepared for any challenge.”
Harris is playing well this season
So far this season, Harris is batting .303 with 12 home runs and 32 stolen bases. While a lot of players would be looking ahead to the offseason and potential contracts with affiliated teams, Harris is remaining focused on the task at hand, although he is still hoping for an affiliated team to come calling.
“Whether somebody picks me up, or I stay here I’m just gonna keep playing as hard as I can and if an affiliated team picked me up, I know what to do to get to the major leagues.”
His home field for the past two seasons has been CHS Field, which has received rave reviews from both players and fans alike. Harris agreed, saying “It's nice. When you're in gulf coast league you're on the field every day with no crowd, but here every night it’s a full house whether it's rain or not. This is my big leagues right now. It's entertaining, not only do you want to play well, but you want to entertain the fans. It's just a good situation to be in.”