HC Joe Litterio details what the Padres are getting in Jawuan Harris

Tuesday afternoon, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights baseball team saw one of their current players get picked in the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.

The San Diego Padres selected outfielder Jawuan Harris in the 7th round with the 201st overall pick.

Now that Harris a part of the organization, we spoke with Rutgers baseball head coach Joe Litterio to see what type of player the Padres are getting.

“I think he brings a lot of athletic ability to the Padres organization,” Litterio told TKR. “He has all the tools and that is the main thing. His athleticism is something that most people don’t have and it’s a big factor that he can bring to a team.”

While Harris has a lot of good attributes, he also has some stuff he needs to fix in order to succeed at the professional level.

“Basically he’s going to be able to do baseball all year round now,” said Litterio. “I think him being away from baseball for half the year affected him. Also being able to see some more live pitching, and getting a better knowledge of the strike zone is a major thing. I think the more he plays the more he will learn about the strike zone.”

This is the seventh year in the row that the Scarlet Knights have had a player signed or drafted by an MLB organization and it means a lot to coach Litterio to have that success.

“It’s a great feeling to see that statistic,” Litterio stated. “That’s not one of our main goals. I know our main goal is to obviously get out there and win championships, but to be able to bring in those guys and have them get to the next level is great to see.”

At the moment, Litterio won’t name a replacement for Harris just yet, but mentioned a couple of names that might be able to fill in next season.

“We got some guys right now,” said Litterio. “Kevin Blum did a good job filling in this past season while Harris was out, but I think we have some guys. We have a freshman coming in, and we will have some options so we will do what it takes to fill the spot.”

Stay tuned for more on Rutgers baseball and other teams throughout the university right here on The Knight Report!