Lenny Harris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lenny Harris |
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Harris as Nationals hitting coach
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| Third baseman / Outfielder / Second baseman | |||
| Born: October 28, 1964 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 7, 1988, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 1, 2005, for the Florida Marlins | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .269 | ||
| Home runs | 37 | ||
| Runs batted in | 369 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Leonard Anthony Harris, born on October 28, 1964, is a former American baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a versatile infielder. Lenny, as he is known, was a left-handed batter and a right-handed thrower.
He is famous for holding a special record. He has the most 'pinch hits' in MLB history, with 212. A pinch hitter is a player who bats in place of another player during a game.
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Playing Baseball: Lenny's Career
Lenny Harris started his professional baseball journey with the Cincinnati Reds. They chose him in the fifth round of the 1983 amateur draft. He made his first appearance in the major leagues with the Reds in 1988.
Early Years with the Reds and Dodgers
In 1988, Lenny played 16 games for Cincinnati and had a great batting average of .372. The next year, 1989, he played 61 games for the Reds. Later that year, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He moved to the Dodgers along with Kal Daniels. In return, the Reds received Tim Leary and Mariano Duncan.
Lenny played with the Dodgers until the 1993 season. During these years, he played in at least 107 games each season. In 1993, he started to become known for his pinch-hitting skills. He had some good seasons batting for the Dodgers. For example, he batted .304 in 1990 and .287 in 1991.
Returning to the Reds and Other Teams
After the 1993 season, Lenny became a free agent. This meant he could sign with any team. He decided to sign with the Cincinnati Reds again. He continued to play for them until 1998. In 1998, the Reds traded him to the New York Mets.
Something interesting happened on June 1, 1998. Lenny, who was usually an infielder, pitched in a game for the Reds. This was the first time a Reds position player had pitched in ten years!
Breaking Records and Winning a World Series
In 1998, Lenny batted .295 in 57 games with the Reds. After joining the Mets, his batting average was .232. He then signed with the Colorado Rockies in 1999. He played well for the Rockies, batting .297.
Later in 1999, he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played well there too. In 2000, he was traded back to the New York Mets. He stayed with the Mets through the 2001 season. In 2001, Lenny broke the MLB record for career pinch hits. The old record was 150, held by Manny Mota. Lenny surpassed this, and his record of 212 still stands.
The 2002 season was very successful for Lenny. He played 122 games for the Milwaukee Brewers and batted .305. He was 37 years old, showing he could still play at a high level. In 2003, he started with the Chicago Cubs. After 75 games, he was released and signed with the Florida Marlins. He became a World Series champion with the Marlins in 2003!
Lenny re-signed with the Marlins for 2004 and 2005. He was released by the Marlins during spring training in 2006. This marked the end of his playing career.
Coaching Career
After his playing days, Lenny Harris moved into coaching. He first joined the Washington Nationals. He became their infield coordinator and later their hitting coach. He worked with the Nationals until September 28, 2008.
Working with Minor League Teams
On October 24, 2008, Lenny became a minor league hitting instructor for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He worked at their spring training facility, Camelback Ranch. In 2011, he was the hitting coach for the Great Lakes Loons.
He also coached for the Gulf Coast League Marlins. Later, he became the assistant hitting coach for the Miami Marlins. He then became the third base coach for the Marlins. He left the Marlins after the 2016 season.
Returning to the Reds Organization
For the 2017 season, Lenny returned to the Cincinnati Reds organization. He worked as a coach for their Arizona league team. In 2025, he was named the bench coach for the Daytona Tortugas. This team is a Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.
