Former second-round pick and top outfield prospect Monte Harrison hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2022 and apparently isn’t pursuing a return to the big leagues at this point. Rather, he’s now committed to the University of Arkansas’ football team as a walk-on wide receiver, as first reported by Richard Davenport of WholeHogSports.com.
Harrison, who’ll be 29 next fall, will be the oldest player in college football when the season gets underway. A three-sport star at his Missouri high school, he’d committed to play football for Nebraska before the Brewers selected him in the second round of the 2014 MLB draft (No. 50 overall) and offered a $1.8MM signing bonus. Harrison opted to forgo his NCAA commitment and turn pro in baseball.
Royce Boehm, Harrison’s high school coach, tells Mitch Sherman of The Athletic that even at the time he was being selected in the second round of the MLB draft, “My whole thought back then was that he’s an NFL player, but he was stuck on baseball.” Sherman spoke to Boehm and University of Nebraska baseball coach Will Bolt about Harrison’s long-shot football bid and freakish athleticism.
Though Harrison came to professional baseball with plenty of pedigree, drew ample top prospect fanfare and ultimately reached the majors, his MLB career certainly did pan out as he’d hoped. After Harrison coupled his preternatural athleticism with a .272/.350/.481 line between two Class-A levels in 2017, he emerged as a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport. Then 21 years of age, Harrison was one of the key pieces sent from the Brewers to the Marlins in the Christian Yelich blockbuster that significantly altered the trajectory of both franchises.
Yelich broke out with an MVP showing in his first season in Milwaukee, finished second in NL MVP voting his second year there, and signed a franchise-record $215MM contract ($188.5MM in new money) that runs through the 2028 season. The Marlins saw all of the prospects acquired in that trade — Harrison, Lewis Brinson, Isan Diaz and Jordan Yamamoto — struggle immensely in Miami. None of the four are with the organization anymore.
Harrison played parts of two seasons with the Fish (2020-21) and had a nine-game cup of coffee with the 2022 Angels as well. He tallied just 76 major league plate appearances across those three seasons and batted .176/.253/.294 with a 48.7% strikeout rate. His bat never fully broke through even at the Triple-A level, where he slashed .238/.322/.398 with a 36.5% strikeout rate in parts of four seasons (1179 plate appearances). His speed was still on display, however, as he swiped 90 bags in 105 tries (85.7% success rate). Overall, Harrison stole 210 minor league bases and was caught only 39 times — an excellent 84.3% success rate.
Even though his baseball career has fizzled out, Harrison still checks in at an imposing 6’3″ and 220 pounds. An eventual NFL emergence is an obvious long shot, but Harrison’s journey will be a fun story to track in the months ahead as he fights to keep his professional sports dream alive.
I remember reading Anthony Alford was a big football player in HS. I’ve always wondered why he never did this.
Maybe he likes baseball more.
Also, he’s made $1.9 million during his MLB career and $1.67 million during his KBO career. In total, to date he’s made 3.57 million. Maybe he decided the money he made plus any money he can still make in baseball is enough for him.
He might have been able to get more in football, but he’d have an absolutely destroyed body or brain by the time he was done, like many football players.
I recommend taking guaranteed $ if it’s significant enough. MLB minimum wage easily puts you into the 1 percent and their pension is fantastic. Vs the odds of being good enough to be drafted in the 1st round of NFL. Even Alabama Georgia Ohio State I am going MLB. But Nebraska? Easy choice.
MLB players only get full pension if they accrue 10 or more years of service time.
Not sure. Jays were high on Alford despite his lacklustre numbers and didn’t deal him in 2016 to help the playoff club that needed another bat.
He’s already on the Cowboys draft board as the #1 prospect in whatever year he declares for the NFL.
Excellent!
Royce Boehm. Not Riley.
Best of luck for him!
NIL money is likely better than minor league money.
And I don’t expect him to make a ton of NIL money.
Probably the only NCAA D-1 football player who can get Depends and AARP ads. Maybe he cleans up.
This man is gonna be 29
Let him cook
Terrible decision. Harrison has already made plenty of money, hes set for life. Why anyone would want to blow their brains out and reck their body for free, I’ll never know. Hes just going to destroy his body for no reason
WRs don’t nearly take the hits rbs,lineman and linebackers take.I’m sure he’s glad to know you’re worried about his health tho.
Antonio Brown’s CTE brain would like a word…
One WR doesn’t mean all of them genius, name another modern WR I’ll wait
Maybe this is about more than money
1 – he’s probably only made ~$2m in career earnings. After taxes and agent fees, that’s probably $1M over 10 years. Assuming he didn’t buy a house or start a family and lives incredibly modestly, then $1M can last a while, especially with current muni bond rates, but he didn’t get the tenure to get the mlb pension nor health insurance. Out of pocket health insurance is very expensive. Even if he bought a modest home, it would cost $30k+ a year. Also with only 10 years of employment, Social Security when he gets to retirement age, would be small. All in all, $1M at age 29 is not really set for life financially, if he had it all.
2 – many people just love being active and playing a sport. Rickey Henderson, Julio Franco, played well beyond skill set or financial need. He probably just loves football or being a part of a team. Many, many adults play in rec leagues (where they pay to play) so just because you can’t understand why someone would want to risk getting hurt for something they love to do while their body could still do it, many other people do.
You get benefits just making it to mlb. If you can last a few months they become really nice. Getting to 10 years is like winning the lottery but anything in between is nice.
I think he had less than 3 years of mlb service time and you need 10 to get the lifetime benefits, pension, insurance, etc. I don’t think most guys who only had cups of coffee have much benefits after they retire.
It’s nothing crazy but better than other jobs give you for a few weeks work. Just being able to purchase affordable quality insurance is nice.
$1.8M is not “plenty of money”. The average 29 year old would still have to get a job if they inherited say $900k. The downside is probably a college degree and working out every day for 2-3 hours.
Agreed Mr.Brady. I would think he could at least be a punt/kick returner in the NFL. Someone will sign him as a UDF or take him in the 7th round.
When he’s in his thirties? With a couple of years of college ball under his belt? I’m not so sure.
In his 30’s..after only a couple years of football toll on his body since high school. At 6’3 and 220, he’s probably held up ok, and isn’t likely to take the kind of beating going forward as say a Tyreek Hill or Jayden Reed will, being much smaller.
And, most importantly, it’s his decision. He wants to do it, so who are we to say: “NO! don’t you dare take that elusive second chance in life to do what you always wanted..”? Oh yeah, and if it doesn’t pan out in the NFL, at least he got to find out for sure.
I don’t disagree with anything you’re saying, Al. I was responding to the comment saying someone will draft him. I’m leery of that happening.
Maybe a nearly free college degree too if he earns a scholarship at some point.
Consistently
Young man of color wants to go back to school at 29 – more power to him.
Maybe he is even using some of his leftover baseball signing money to pay for tuition, room and board – he is a role model.
Hope he has fun playing college football and getting an education.
Everybody has questions about how successful an athlete transitioning sports is going to be; said athlete’s skin color is not relevant to the conversation, so try keeping it relevant.
Everybody had (legitimate) questions about Michael Jordan when he attempted Spring Training in his late career, and everybody had (also legitimate) questions about Tim Tebow when he tried to make it through MiLB with the Mets.
And those are guys that were transitioning to a sport that was both less physically demanding and had a lower injury risk than their prior sports.
I’m wishing Monte good luck and best of times going back to school (I also attended college in my late 20’s-early 30’s; not even close to an athlete, though); hoping he avoids injury, because you could always see that he’s a dynamic athlete.
Hmm… not sure this is the best idea. Guy is 29 and most WRs are under 30 years of age. Unless he has some amazing breakout season with Arkansas and is drafted the next year, it’s tough to see him having a long career. Regardless, best of luck to him.
Doesn’t have to make NFL for it to be a success. Maybe he just wanted to play football at high level. If he doesn’t make make NFL he still opened more doors to make more $.
How is it a bad idea? The only other option is not to try at all, in which case he definitely won’t make the NFL.
I’m still a massive fan of his brother as a basketball player, and hope he finally gets a real opportunity this coming year. As a Marlins fan, I exhausted my thoughts on Monte being in the Yelich trade many years ago. It is what it is. Nothing unexpected happened, besides Yelich’s injuries since then
Dude is a phenomenal athlete. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him succeed at all
Completely agree with zachw. Getting into the NFL is a long shot but he could enjoy playing football for a few years and, more importantly, get a college education and become much more employable. Maybe Arkansas will give him a scholarship for next year. He’s 6’3″ , 220 lb, so he’s pretty built for a college wide receiver.
On a side note Robinson Cano and Bartolo Colon are signed up to play in the Baseball United league in the middle east and India next year. These guys made plenty of money, they actually like playing baseball.
I saw Monte pay in A ball the season before he was traded to Miami. He manned centerfield in between first round picks Corey Ray and Trent Grisham, and he outplayed both of them at that time. Harrison is super athletic, saw him make some terrific plays in center. I have no doubt in his ability to play football, but he’s getting into too late at age 29. Best of luck to him anyway…
Who cares if it is a good idea or not it’s his decision. Good luck to him, I wish him the best.
Getting in at the perfect time. MLB set for life signing bonus check. All the service time he is likely to ever get check. After last years performance a new chapter seems like the best choice. At worse he makes some connections and finds out if he could have done football or not. At best he makes team and maybe earns scholarship. If he makes NFL they will probably make a movie. I hope he doesn’t have NFL in his mind. Probably just a challenge he wanted to do and or get degree.
He may not have much of that bonus left. Pay Uncle Sam nearly half of that, and then live the minor league life for a few years with little supporting pay, and then living doing whatever else the last few years. If he was smart, he would have banked most of that entire bonus and lived like the other minor leaguers, forgetting the seven figures hopefully growing elsewhere. I suspect most of it is spent.
Many aren’t good with $ but at least he got some $ to blow that is more than playing college football provided. If he wasn’t smart with his $ that’s on him.
If football is taking Harrison, can the A’s have Kyler Murray?
When your baseball career stalls out but you remember you still have 4 years of college girls available to you…
He will likely make more money playing college football, at age 29, then the $2,592,449 he made playing in the MLB for 8yrs.
Some college athletes are making huge sums with NIL deals and brand sponsorships, even staying longer than previous athletes to rake in these deals.
Id think brands would be all over him for his prior prospect status, MLB resume (however small) and his life experience vs 18-22 yr olds.
I could see that as a reason alone to try to make the football team along with what other above have stated too.
Career WAR totals for the 4 players the Marlins got for Yelich.
Brinson -3.6
Diaz -2.9
Harrison 0.1
Yamamoto -0.3
It looks like Harrison was the “best” of the bunch. Or least bad?
So, Harrison can go to a sport that has bigger, slower targets to hit because he clearly struggled with hitting a baseball.