Mitch Harris’s path to the majors was never going to look like anyone else’s. By the time he threw his first pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals, he had already spent five years on active duty in the United States Navy, and he made the most of that moment by striking out the first batter he faced.
That debut was only the beginning of a brief but memorable MLB run. Harris finished his regular-season career with the Cardinals at two wins and a 3.67 ERA over 27 innings, after originally being drafted by St.
Louis in 2008. He wore No. 40 after reaching the rank of Navy Lieutenant, a detail that fit the unusual arc of a player who arrived in baseball with a résumé shaped as much by service as by sport.
Now a family man and Wealth Management Advisor, Harris still leans on both sides of that background. In an exclusive interview, he pointed to his time at the U.S. Naval Academy and his deployments aboard USS Ponce and USS Carr as major reasons he was able to handle the jump to the highest level of baseball.
"I think having the discipline and the day in and day out kind of thought of when we talk about the military, we think about duty," said Harris. "Everybody has their their their duty, their responsibilities, attention to detail.
And so, when you get to the big leagues, it's very much that in that 'hey, everybody on the team has a responsibility.' Having that discipline, having the attention to detail in the military was big into helping me transition to playing at the highest level."
That mindset still drives him today. Harris said the journey from the academy to military service and then to the majors continues to fuel how he approaches life and how he tries to help others chase their own goals.
"Going to the academy, serving for five years, and then and then making it to the big leagues ... I use that same drive and work ethic and excitement and really just motivation to to help others achieve their dreams," Harris also said.
The 2006 Patriot League Pitcher of the Year remains connected to athletics through Pro Athlete Community (PAC), and he keeps in touch with the Cardinals as well. Harris said he does two or three events a year with the organization and is heading to Field of Dreams next month for another fantasy camp.
"I stay in contact with Cardinals constantly. I probably do two or three events a year with them.
Matter of fact, next month [in Sept.] I'm headed up to Field of Dreams for another fantasy camp that they do and and it's always a blast to go up there," said Harris, who currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Harris may be done pitching, but he still holds a unique place in MLB history as the first Naval Academy graduate to play in the league since 1921.
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