Who's faster, Butler or Harris II? Depends who you ask
Mart¨ªn Gallegos
@MartinJGallegosThis story was excerpted from Mart¨ªn Gallegos¡¯ A¡¯s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
MESA, Ariz. -- After what he believes is some misinformation floating around the internet courtesy of his childhood friend Michael Harris II, Lawrence Butler is here to set the record straight.
During a recent episode of MLB Office Hours, Harris II was asked to compare his speed to several other players around the league and answer whether he is faster than them. When asked if he is faster than Butler, the Braves outfielder answered without hesitation.
¡°Of course,¡± Harris said with a smile.
Harris doubled down, claiming there is a video that exists of him not only beating Butler in a race, but also Rays prospect Chandler Simpson, who stole 104 bases in the Minors last season and is considered to have true elite 80-grade game-changing speed. The race supposedly took place during the offseason while the three were working out together back home in Atlanta.
Butler confirmed a video of the three racing does indeed exist. Harris¡¯ interpretation of it, however, might be a bit skewed.
According to Butler, he was the winner of the three-man race. Even as he slipped towards the end, the Athletics outfielder said the footage will show him edging out Harris and Simpson in a photo finish.
¡°If you slow it down and pause it, my head is in front of [Harris] and Chandler,¡± Butler said. ¡°I slipped and still won. ¡ I¡¯m not going to be the one to put the video out there because I don¡¯t want to embarrass nobody. But if the people ask for it, they will see.¡±
Why would Harris make a false declaration like that?
¡°He¡¯s just saying that because the camera was in his face and he didn¡¯t want to make himself look bad,¡± Butler said. ¡°I¡¯m faster than him.¡±
Butler admits that, despite being the victor, he does not believe any player in professional baseball is actually faster than Simpson.
¡°In that video, I¡¯m just going to say I beat 'Chan,'¡± Butler said. ¡°Maybe he had a bad start. But I don¡¯t think I can beat 'Chan.' I don¡¯t think anybody can beat Chan. To me, he¡¯s the fastest in the league. It¡¯s between him and Elly [De La Cruz]. But 'Chan' has super speed.¡±
When it comes to Harris, though, Butler wants to make it clear that he is the fastest of the two. According to the Statcast, Harris does have him beat when it comes to Sprint Speed, as his 2024 number was 28.4 feet per second as opposed to Butler¡¯s 27.6 mark. Butler, however, is quick to point out that he stole more bases (18) than Harris (10) last season.
So, how can the two resolve this controversy? While the two are currently on opposite coasts for Spring Training, the Braves are set to visit the A¡¯s at Sutter Health Park this season for a three-game series from July 8-10. If Harris is up for it, Butler said he is down to set up another race to settle it.
¡°We have to set that up,¡± Butler said. ¡°Let¡¯s race. That¡¯s how you determine who is faster. ¡ I¡¯m definitely faster, for sure. One hundred percent.¡±