Brendan Harris went five weeks without a hit before Monday. You’re forgiven for missing it.
For the Angels’ utility infielder, it was nothing too alarming, nothing worthy of time at Triple-A to rediscover his stroke — he’s out of options, anyway.
Over those five weeks, Harris played all of 12 games and went 0 for 27.
“When guys are playing well, the at-bats are few and far between,” Harris said. “You go through stretches like that.”
As a so-called “supersub,” Harris’ presence in a game often means someone is unhealthy or unproductive. So it’s not too surprising that the Angels are 8-16 with Harris in the starting lineup and 23-23 when he begins the game on the bench. That’s not entirely his fault, though Harris’ 0.3 offensive bWAR and -0.6 defensive bWAR through 37 games paint a picture of Harris’ value as a replacement.
During those five weeks Harris did not collect a hit, the Angels went 18-17. That’s one reason why he wasn’t so bothered by a slump that saw his average drop 77 points, from .288 to .211. Another is that he liked the way he was swinging the bat, even if the hits weren’t falling.
“In no way am I unclear about what my role is,” Harris said. “I don’t stress over things like that too bad. Sometimes your role is to back up and support the guys.”