Hogan Harris took big step forward with A's in 2024

Jason Burke | Oct 20, 2024

Sep 21, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Hogan Harris (63) delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees in the eighth inning at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Left-hander Hogan Harris seemed to take a step forward with the A's in 2024, posting a 2.86 ERA across 72 1/3 innings, along with a 1.35 WHIP. Despite the huge leap in surface numbers, Harris' xERA finished at 5.07 and his FIP landed at 4.23 which paint a picture more of a league average pitcher, rather than an up-and-coming ace.

Part of the reasoning for those numbers may be because of Harris' approach on the mound. When he debuted in 2023, he was going through different mechanical tweaks--potentially as many as five--but in 2024 his mindset was accepting that once you let go of the ball, there's not much else he can do.

"This year I learned that if you keep it simple, it usually ends up a little bit better," Harris said during the A's final homestand. "At the end of the day, I watch guys pop up balls in BP (batting practice). So, I mean, if you throw it over the plate and force them to hit it, even if it's 108 [exit velo] and it's an out, I don't care."

Harris' Pitching+ stats also didn't grade out terribly well, giving him a combined 95 (100 is league average) with his Stuff+ listed at an 85 and his Location+ at a 98. He ranked 20th out of 32 on the Oakland A's in 2024. By those same stats he did also have the second-best changeup on the team which was rated as a 118, which also rated at No. 11 in all of baseball among pitchers with at least 70 innings.

He was put in the rotation in late May, and optioned back to Triple-A in late July coming off a start against Houston where he went 6 2/3 scoreless innings and gave up seven hits and two walks along with seven strikeouts. It was a solid start. A's on SI asked him about why that happened, and if it was an innings limit thing, and Harris told us, "I'm not really sure. I wasn't really talked to about it." He then added that sometimes that's just how it works with options when someone needs to come off the IL.

In this case, it was Paul Blackburn that was getting activated in time to make one start against the Angels before getting traded to the New York Mets. "I wasn't hot that day to pitch. That's just kind of how it works out."

This offseason Harris isn't going to be worrying about an entire reset with his mechanics, but instead will be focusing on moving a little bit quicker, "maybe 10%," to get things moving a little quicker and hopefully add some velocity to his heater, which tapered off as the season progressed.

As for where he potentially fits on the A's roster in 2025, it could come down to Harris and Kyle Muller as the team's left-handed long-relief option, and with Muller out of options heading into 2025, he will either not be around at the start of spring training, or will be the frontrunner for that role next season given his lack of options.

Fun personal Hogan Harris story

Before the final home game this season, I went up and chatted with Harris about nothing in particular. I believe I asked him something silly like if he has been handing out advice for pitching in front of a raucous crowd, since it was Harris that got the start for the "reverse boycott" in 2023 and had a problem hearing his PItchCom.

Anyway, as we were talking, Harris was kind of going through his locker, presumably for the last time before the team flew to Seattle and then the players flew to their own homes and families. As we were wrapping up our conversation, he picks up a stack of cards and asks if I want some "Vegas cards." After looking at them and realizing they were just Aviators cards featuring Harris himself, I agreed. He must have handed me like 100 baseball cards. Two that were wrapped packs and then a stack of loose cards as well.

I walked back over to where the media like to congregate maybe 15 feets away, and start going through the loose cards, and each and every one was of Hogan Harris in an Aviators uniform. I handed out a few to the media members in the area, but I ended up with 36 Hogan Harris cards, and it just makes me laugh.

This is one of those memories that'll stick with me over the years when I reflect upon the A's last day at the Oakland Coliseum, because I walked away with 36 Hogan Harris baseball cards.

Hogan Harris on the Las Vegas Aviators card / Jason Burke, A's on SI