Navy veteran who made the major leagues will be featured at 2021 ALWS

Perhaps Mitch Harris’ future was simply fate given the role both of his grandfathers played in World War II.

His paternal grandfather, Louin Harris, participated in the Battle of Midway with the U.S. Navy.

His maternal grandfather, James Chamberlain, fought in the Battle of the Bulge in the U.S. Army.

“I knew they were both in World War II,” Harris said. “I don’t think it was until I was actually going to the Naval Academy that they gave me their stories and their details. It was really cool to hear what they had done, what they had seen and what they had gone through.”

Both grandfathers, now deceased, would certainly be pleased to know their grandson will be leading a parade of military veterans at this year’s American Legion World Series.

Mitch Harris will do just that at this year’s ALWS on Saturday, Aug. 14, as a special honored guest for the event.

An American Legion Baseball standout himself for the Gaston Braves Post 144-266 team based in Belmont and Stanley, N.C., Harris defied long odds by making the major leagues after fulfilling his Naval Academy commitment. When he played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015, he became the first Naval Academy graduate to play in the major leagues since 1921.

Harris will be joined at this year’s ALWS by the coach who “discovered” him. Longtime Naval Academy assistant football coach Buddy Green from Stanley, N.C., was recruiting some of Harris’ Belmont South Point High classmates for that sport when he noticed Harris.

“I say he is the reason I got to the Naval Academy,” Mitch Harris said of Green. “He met (South Point baseball head) coach Lineberger at the baseball field and when he did, I was throwing a bullpen.

“So he started asking questions, ‘What’s this kid’s deal?’ The next thing we know, he’s making phone calls to the Naval Academy and a few weeks later, we went on a visit.

“It’s kind of funny to look back and realize that I talked to Elon and Gardner-Webb and some smaller colleges like Blue Ridge Community College and Belmont Abbey. And it’s even funnier to think I fell into the Naval Academy because the defensive coordinator for the Navy football team came to my high school to recruit.”

Given his opportunity, Harris thrived at the Naval Academy and turned himself into a pro prospect.

A two-year player for the Gaston Braves Post 144-266 team who played for current Appalachian State coach Kermit Smith, Harris hit .295 with 16 home runs and 112 RBIs and went 20-13 in 36 starts as a pitcher with 291 strikeouts in 222 1-3 innings for the Naval Academy. He also earned Patriot League pitcher of the year honors and was twice named to the All-Patriot League team.

Undrafted out of high school, Harris was a 24th-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in the 2007 major league draft and a 13th-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2008 major league draft.

“At that time in 2008, they had an early release policy where you could apply for two years of active (service) and extend your reserve time,” Mitch Harris said. “But then again in 2008, we were in the middle of a war (in Afghanistan) so as I graduated, they put that on hold and didn’t uphold it.”

So, for the next four years, eight months and eight days, he fulfilled his commitment to the Naval Academy, rose to the rank of second lieutenant, was stationed in Norfolk, Va., and went on deployments in the Persian Gulf, Russia and on drug operations in South America.

Knowing the Cardinals had his rights and eager to get the opportunity to play pro baseball, Harris also spent considerable time making sure he would be ready for baseball once his military service was over.

“I told myself that if I could stay in shape, I felt like I could make up whatever I lacked in arm strength because I wouldn’t have to worry about my body,” he said. “So I threw on the flight deck as much as I could. There was a Dominican cook that was on our ship that I knew would throw with me.”

By spring training of 2013, Harris was ready to show the Cardinals he was still worthy of their draft selection.

And within a year he was turning into a major league prospect.

“There was one bullpen session and it all just sort of clicked,” said Harris, who was promoted from Class A Palm Beach, Fla., to Class AA Springfield, Ohio to Class AAA Memphis, Tenn. in 2014. “I was with Randy Niemann, who was the pitching coach at the time. He was a former (New York) Mets pitcher and we just sort of looked at each other at the time and we laughed and thought, ‘That’s it. It just happened.’

“From that day forward, I knew there was going to be a change in how I felt and how I threw. From that point on, my arm slowly came back.”

Before the end of the first month of the 2015 season, Harris’ date with destiny was secured.

His Class AAA Memphis manager at the time was Mike Shildt of Charlotte, N.C., now the St. Louis Cardinals manager and himself an American Legion Baseball alumnus. Shildt gave Harris the news that he’d be joining the major leagues with the Cardinals in Milwaukee on April 25.

Harris would go on to finish with a 2-1 record and 3.67 ERA in 26 appearances during the 2015 season. He also was named the 2015 Stockton/Broeg Award winner for outstanding achievement in baseball at the St. Louis Baseball Writers Dinner.

“It was really cool to learn the history of it,” Mitch Harris said. “I had no idea. Nemo Gaines had come right out of the (Naval) academy (in 1921) and pitched for the (Washington) Senators and then went on to active duty.

“It was just special to learn about — no pun intended — the boat that I had gotten on and that piece of history for my journey to the big leagues.”

At the 2021 ALWS, Green will join Mitch Harris as a special guest.

A shortstop for Belmont American Legion Post 144 in the 1970 and 1971 seasons, Green retired in 2016 after a 39-year coaching career that saw him coach collegiately at N.C. State, LSU, Southern University, Auburn, Chattanooga and at the Naval Academy from 2002 to 2015.