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DAYTONA BEACH — Willie Harris doesn’t tell these stories often.
The Daytona Tortugas’ new manager doesn’t spout any tales of personal triumph just for the heck of it — unless someone asks. Not his style.
“For me, man, it's all about the kids,” Harris told the News-Journal last week. “It's all about the players.”
But let’s indulge for a second. Harris, a 46-year-old baseball lifer, arrives in Daytona Beach and the Florida State League with plenty of bona fides.
He can share stories not many others can.
Here’s one.
Harris stepped out of the left-handed batter’s box and peered into the distance.
It was Game 4 of the 2005 World Series, top of the eighth inning, no score. The crowd of 42,936 fans at Minute Maid Park in Houston hummed.
Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén called upon Harris, a reserve utility player with a hit in his only postseason at-bat, to lead off the frame as a pinch hitter. Harris fell down 0-2 against Astros closer Brad Lidge and took a moment.
After settling back into the box, he evened the count, taking a pitch low and inside and another high and outside.
He backed out another few steps, knocking the dirt off his cleats with his bat. Then, he resumed his stance and got a fastball.
He lined it into left field for a single.
After a bunt and a groundout moved Harris to third base with two outs, Jermaine Dye bounced a hit into center field, and Harris jogged home.
He clapped his hands after touching the plate. White Sox 1, Astros 0.
“When you're playing the game, you're playing the game,” he said. “I've scored plenty of runs before. I've played many, many innings. So you're not really thinking about, ‘Wow, this is the World Series, and I just scored a run.’ You're just thinking about going out now to try to make a play for the pitcher to help your team win.”
Harris stayed in the game at second base for the eighth and ninth innings as Chicago closed out its first World Series title since 1917. He bounced around the infield, wrapping teammates and coaches in hugs.
Despite Harris playing seven more big-league seasons, this was the last playoff appearance of his career. And he scored the eventual championship-winning run.
“Afterward is when it really set in, and it was an amazing feeling,” Harris said. “I have two moments in my career that just really stand out.
“And that's actually No. 2.”
Harris always knew he wanted to coach. Recognized that even during his playing days.
“It's what I love,” he said.
After the Baltimore Orioles selected him out of Kennesaw State in the 24th round of the 1999 MLB Draft, he cracked the major-league roster for the first time in 2001.
Harris mostly lined up at second base and in center field. Later in his career, he added more third base and left field. He was speedy and versatile. Would play — and play hard — wherever a team needed him.
Overall, he trotted out for 1,046 games across 12 seasons.
Following nine games with the Orioles in 2001, he went to the White Sox for four seasons. He had one-year stints with the Boston Red Sox in 2006 and Atlanta Braves in 2007. From 2008 to 2010, he suited up for the Washington Nationals and enjoyed the best year of his career in 2008.
He set a batch of career highs: in counting stats like games (140), home runs (13), RBIs (43), slugging percentage (.417) and OPS (.761), and more advanced metrics like OPS+ (101) and wins above replacement (2.9).
Harris ended his career with one season apiece with the New York Mets in 2011 and Cincinnati Reds in 2012.
“I don't miss it anymore,” he said. “Maybe a couple years after I retired, I missed it a little bit, but now, I don't even think about playing.”
Harris became a coach in 2016. He joined the Great Falls Voyagers, a rookie-level affiliate of the White Sox at the time, as their hitting coach.
“I just try to use my previous experiences to help the young men out and give them what I can, and if my previous experiences can help them out, it's great,” he said. “If it can't help them out, I tell them to get rid of it, because everything doesn't work for everybody. Everyone's different. So it's all about trying to figure out what helps that player.”
In 2017, Harris secured his first managerial job with the Winston-Salem Dash. They went 56-84 in the High-A Carolina League.
He pivoted to the San Francisco Giants’ organization for his most recent manager gig in 2018. Across two seasons, his squads posted 62-76 and 55-84 records in the Double-A Eastern League.
Cincinnati hired him as a baserunning and outfield coordinator in 2020.
Harris accepted another MLB job, this time as third-base coach for the Chicago Cubs, ahead of the 2021 campaign and lasted four years in the role.
He and the club mutually parted ways last fall after failing to agree to a new contract.
When he became available, he connected with some old contacts in the Reds’ front office.
And here he is.
“They kind of know what I'm about,” Harris said. “They know what I bring. It was an easy transition for me to just come in and try to help these young men.”
Cincinnati hired Harris not knowing exactly what his minor-league assignment would be. But this one turned out well.
A self-proclaimed country boy from Cairo, Georgia, Harris makes his offseason home in St. Augustine. He spends much of his free time fishing — reeling in freshwater catches like crappie and bluegill — or sneaking in the occasional round of golf.
Daytona Beach is just far enough from the Ancient City to make the daily commute a hassle. So he’s living here during the season.
Before spring training, he had never met any of his Tortugas. That changed quickly. Harris ensured it.
“One thing I know for sure is a player doesn't care how much you know until he knows how much you care,” he said. “So that's what I live by ...
“My personality is outgoing. I want to learn your language. I want to get to know who you are. I want you to get to know who I am. And we're not even talking about baseball. You have to build relationships, because not only are we here as a staff to help these kids become big leaguers and move on, we're here also to turn them into decent young men.”
He tries to remember these prospects aren’t 31-year-olds, who have seven seasons of major-league experience.
With the Single-A Tortugas, Harris is tutoring 19-year-old catcher Alfredo Duno and 20-year-old infielder Sammy Stafura. Scouts love those guys. They predict bright futures. But they aren’t Dansby Swanson, a star shortstop who pocketed $26 million with Harris’ Cubs last year, yet.
Harris also has to remind himself the sport isn’t easy. It might seem so from the dugout. But if he drifts back 15 years, he can conjure up thoughts of swinging at pitches in the dirt or fumbling a grounder.
It’s hard.
So what does Harris emphasize in a sport of failure?
“The main thing for me is respect the game, respect your opponents and respect your teammates,” he said. “Play the game the right way. Play the game hard. That's really it. Everything else will fall into place if you. If you give it to the game, the game will always give back to you.”
One more story for the road.
Harris labeled the World Series-winning run as his second-favorite memory from his career. Here’s No. 1:
While playing for the Braves in July of 2007, Harris fell into a slump. From July 1 through July 20, he racked up 46 at-bats across 16 contests and produced only seven hits. His batting average for the month lingered at .152.
“Couldn't find a hit,” Harris said.
“And baseball players, man, we're weird. We're superstitious, and we'll try anything to get the job done.”
So when Harris walked into Turner Field on July 21, he noticed a few bats hanging on the wall in clubhouse manager Ben Acree’s office. They were 20-year-old souvenir bats. They were giveaways.
“And I figured, you know what, what the heck,” Harris said. “Let's grab this bat off the wall and see what happens. What's the worst that could happen? I go 0 for 13? I'm already 0 for 11.”
In the bottom of the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals, Harris carried that bat to the plate. He yanked a line-drive single to right field.
He returned to the batter’s box with the same souvenir stick in the second inning. He singled again.
In the third inning, still using the giveaway, he tripled.
He had to get rid of it after that because the handle cracked. But Harris had three more at-bats during that game and, swinging one of his regular bats, went 3 for 3 to finish 6 for 6. He’s one of two Braves to ever tally six hits in a single game.
After Atlanta’s 14-6 victory, he autographed the bat and put it back on the wall.
“Just fortunate enough to have those moments,” Harris said with a smile.
He glanced across Jackie Robinson Ballpark and flipped his attention to the group of Tortugas stretching in the outfield.
“I want these young men to experience some moments like that in their careers.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Meet Willie Harris, Daytona Tortugas manager for 2025 season
Continue reading...
The Daytona Tortugas’ new manager doesn’t spout any tales of personal triumph just for the heck of it — unless someone asks. Not his style.
“For me, man, it's all about the kids,” Harris told the News-Journal last week. “It's all about the players.”
But let’s indulge for a second. Harris, a 46-year-old baseball lifer, arrives in Daytona Beach and the Florida State League with plenty of bona fides.
He can share stories not many others can.
Here’s one.
Willie Harris was a World Series hero for the 2005 Chicago White Sox
You must be registered for see images attach
Harris stepped out of the left-handed batter’s box and peered into the distance.
It was Game 4 of the 2005 World Series, top of the eighth inning, no score. The crowd of 42,936 fans at Minute Maid Park in Houston hummed.
Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén called upon Harris, a reserve utility player with a hit in his only postseason at-bat, to lead off the frame as a pinch hitter. Harris fell down 0-2 against Astros closer Brad Lidge and took a moment.
After settling back into the box, he evened the count, taking a pitch low and inside and another high and outside.
He backed out another few steps, knocking the dirt off his cleats with his bat. Then, he resumed his stance and got a fastball.
He lined it into left field for a single.
After a bunt and a groundout moved Harris to third base with two outs, Jermaine Dye bounced a hit into center field, and Harris jogged home.
He clapped his hands after touching the plate. White Sox 1, Astros 0.
You must be registered for see images attach
“When you're playing the game, you're playing the game,” he said. “I've scored plenty of runs before. I've played many, many innings. So you're not really thinking about, ‘Wow, this is the World Series, and I just scored a run.’ You're just thinking about going out now to try to make a play for the pitcher to help your team win.”
Harris stayed in the game at second base for the eighth and ninth innings as Chicago closed out its first World Series title since 1917. He bounced around the infield, wrapping teammates and coaches in hugs.
Despite Harris playing seven more big-league seasons, this was the last playoff appearance of his career. And he scored the eventual championship-winning run.
“Afterward is when it really set in, and it was an amazing feeling,” Harris said. “I have two moments in my career that just really stand out.
“And that's actually No. 2.”
Willie Harris played 12 MLB seasons before becoming a coach
You must be registered for see images attach
Harris always knew he wanted to coach. Recognized that even during his playing days.
“It's what I love,” he said.
After the Baltimore Orioles selected him out of Kennesaw State in the 24th round of the 1999 MLB Draft, he cracked the major-league roster for the first time in 2001.
Harris mostly lined up at second base and in center field. Later in his career, he added more third base and left field. He was speedy and versatile. Would play — and play hard — wherever a team needed him.
Overall, he trotted out for 1,046 games across 12 seasons.
Following nine games with the Orioles in 2001, he went to the White Sox for four seasons. He had one-year stints with the Boston Red Sox in 2006 and Atlanta Braves in 2007. From 2008 to 2010, he suited up for the Washington Nationals and enjoyed the best year of his career in 2008.
He set a batch of career highs: in counting stats like games (140), home runs (13), RBIs (43), slugging percentage (.417) and OPS (.761), and more advanced metrics like OPS+ (101) and wins above replacement (2.9).
Harris ended his career with one season apiece with the New York Mets in 2011 and Cincinnati Reds in 2012.
“I don't miss it anymore,” he said. “Maybe a couple years after I retired, I missed it a little bit, but now, I don't even think about playing.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Harris became a coach in 2016. He joined the Great Falls Voyagers, a rookie-level affiliate of the White Sox at the time, as their hitting coach.
“I just try to use my previous experiences to help the young men out and give them what I can, and if my previous experiences can help them out, it's great,” he said. “If it can't help them out, I tell them to get rid of it, because everything doesn't work for everybody. Everyone's different. So it's all about trying to figure out what helps that player.”
In 2017, Harris secured his first managerial job with the Winston-Salem Dash. They went 56-84 in the High-A Carolina League.
He pivoted to the San Francisco Giants’ organization for his most recent manager gig in 2018. Across two seasons, his squads posted 62-76 and 55-84 records in the Double-A Eastern League.
Cincinnati hired him as a baserunning and outfield coordinator in 2020.
Harris accepted another MLB job, this time as third-base coach for the Chicago Cubs, ahead of the 2021 campaign and lasted four years in the role.
He and the club mutually parted ways last fall after failing to agree to a new contract.
You must be registered for see images attach
When he became available, he connected with some old contacts in the Reds’ front office.
And here he is.
“They kind of know what I'm about,” Harris said. “They know what I bring. It was an easy transition for me to just come in and try to help these young men.”
Manager Willie Harris emphasizes relationships and playing 'the right way'
Cincinnati hired Harris not knowing exactly what his minor-league assignment would be. But this one turned out well.
A self-proclaimed country boy from Cairo, Georgia, Harris makes his offseason home in St. Augustine. He spends much of his free time fishing — reeling in freshwater catches like crappie and bluegill — or sneaking in the occasional round of golf.
Daytona Beach is just far enough from the Ancient City to make the daily commute a hassle. So he’s living here during the season.
You must be registered for see images attach
Before spring training, he had never met any of his Tortugas. That changed quickly. Harris ensured it.
“One thing I know for sure is a player doesn't care how much you know until he knows how much you care,” he said. “So that's what I live by ...
“My personality is outgoing. I want to learn your language. I want to get to know who you are. I want you to get to know who I am. And we're not even talking about baseball. You have to build relationships, because not only are we here as a staff to help these kids become big leaguers and move on, we're here also to turn them into decent young men.”
He tries to remember these prospects aren’t 31-year-olds, who have seven seasons of major-league experience.
With the Single-A Tortugas, Harris is tutoring 19-year-old catcher Alfredo Duno and 20-year-old infielder Sammy Stafura. Scouts love those guys. They predict bright futures. But they aren’t Dansby Swanson, a star shortstop who pocketed $26 million with Harris’ Cubs last year, yet.
Harris also has to remind himself the sport isn’t easy. It might seem so from the dugout. But if he drifts back 15 years, he can conjure up thoughts of swinging at pitches in the dirt or fumbling a grounder.
It’s hard.
So what does Harris emphasize in a sport of failure?
“The main thing for me is respect the game, respect your opponents and respect your teammates,” he said. “Play the game the right way. Play the game hard. That's really it. Everything else will fall into place if you. If you give it to the game, the game will always give back to you.”
Willie Harris' favorite moment of his MLB career
You must be registered for see images attach
One more story for the road.
Harris labeled the World Series-winning run as his second-favorite memory from his career. Here’s No. 1:
While playing for the Braves in July of 2007, Harris fell into a slump. From July 1 through July 20, he racked up 46 at-bats across 16 contests and produced only seven hits. His batting average for the month lingered at .152.
“Couldn't find a hit,” Harris said.
“And baseball players, man, we're weird. We're superstitious, and we'll try anything to get the job done.”
So when Harris walked into Turner Field on July 21, he noticed a few bats hanging on the wall in clubhouse manager Ben Acree’s office. They were 20-year-old souvenir bats. They were giveaways.
“And I figured, you know what, what the heck,” Harris said. “Let's grab this bat off the wall and see what happens. What's the worst that could happen? I go 0 for 13? I'm already 0 for 11.”
In the bottom of the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals, Harris carried that bat to the plate. He yanked a line-drive single to right field.
He returned to the batter’s box with the same souvenir stick in the second inning. He singled again.
In the third inning, still using the giveaway, he tripled.
He had to get rid of it after that because the handle cracked. But Harris had three more at-bats during that game and, swinging one of his regular bats, went 3 for 3 to finish 6 for 6. He’s one of two Braves to ever tally six hits in a single game.
After Atlanta’s 14-6 victory, he autographed the bat and put it back on the wall.
“Just fortunate enough to have those moments,” Harris said with a smile.
He glanced across Jackie Robinson Ballpark and flipped his attention to the group of Tortugas stretching in the outfield.
“I want these young men to experience some moments like that in their careers.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Meet Willie Harris, Daytona Tortugas manager for 2025 season
Continue reading...
