#16: Adonis Harrison - 1997
Each Wednesday timberrattlers.com will countdown the top 20 seasons by a Timber Rattler until #1 is revealed on August 29th. This week: #16
Adonis Harrison 1997
.318 batting average, 61 runs, 131 hits, 26 doubles, 6 triples, 7 home runs, 62 rbi's, 25 stolen bases, .461 slugging percentage, .403 on base average
A 24th round pick in the 1994 draft out of a California high school, Harrison used his sweet left handed swing and a keen eye at the plate to forge a long career in professional baseball. He hit .290 in his first taste of professional ball with the Arizona Mariners, and his 37 walks bumped his on base percentage to .427. As a 19 year old, Harrison appeared in 54 games with Wisconsin in 1996, hitting .265 in his first tour of the Midwest League. He also had a brief stint in the California League with Lancaster and put up a .350 average in 40 at bats. Adonis was sent back to Wisconsin to start 1997, and he would spend the entire season here, with impressive results.
The Timber Rattlers second baseman played in 125 games during the 1997 season. His .318 average ranks as the sixth highest in team history. He accumulated 55 walks, giving him an on base percentage of .403, and is one of only eight players in Rattler history to have an obp over .400. Not much of a power threat, but Harrison's speed got him 26 doubles and 6 triples, as well as stealing 25 bases. His home run output, seven, is the most he would would ever hit in a season. The Timber Rattlers went 76-63 under manager Gary Varsho, but lost in the playoffs.
Harrison would reach AA the following season, but it would be 2003 before he would reach AAA. In between was a selection by Tampa Bay in the rule 5 draft, his release by the Devil Rays, three years in independent ball, and a return to organized baseball with the Angels. But hitting .292 with Salt Lake was not enough to keep him in AAA, or keep his job with the Angels. He would spend the 2003 season with Tulsa in the Rockies organization before again being released. He has spent the last two seasons with Long Beach of the Golden League, where he played with Jose Canseco in 2006.
Previously on the countdown: