Jeff Harris (baseball)

Jeffrey Austin Harris (born July 4, 1974 in Alameda, California) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a professional scout for the Philadelphia Phillies. He batted and threw right-handed.

When Harris debuted with the Seattle Mariners on August 2, 2005, he was 31 years of age. This was unusually old for a major league rookie, and was due to his meandering career. Harris, who has done construction jobs, plumbing and landscaping during offseasons, spent six years in the Minnesota Twins organization before being released in 2000, then played three years for the Chico Heat of California in the independent Western Baseball League. From there, Harris tried, but failed to make a team in Taiwan, and bounced to China in 2003, when the SARS epidemic forced him to leave and go back to North America where he played for the Quebec Capitales of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball. The Mariners found Harris playing for the Capitales and signed him in June 2005.

Harris made eight starts and three long-relief appearances in the 2005 season. He posted a 2-5 record with 25 strikeouts and a 4.19 ERA in 54.2 innings. In 2006, Harris pitched in only 3 games early in season.

In December 2006, the Cleveland Indians signed Harris to a minor league contract. He became a free agent at the end of the 2008 season and retired. He was named the pitching coach of the Arizona League Indians for the 2009 season.^[1] He later was the pitching coach for the Lake County Captains in the Cleveland Indians organization.

References

External links

• Baseball Reference
• ESPN updates
• NY Times
• Minor League Splits and Situational Stats