Conversations with the Herd: Jay Harry

By: Brian Frank

Jay Harry has been one of the biggest breakout stories in the Blue Jays organization this season. The 24-year-old has slashed a combined.317/.363/.562 with 13 home runs and a .925 OPS at New Hampshire and Buffalo this season.

Harry grew up in New Jersey, where he graduated from Metuchen High School before going on to play baseball at Penn State University.

“My first visit was a whiteout game, so it was pretty hard to beat that,” he said of his decision to attend Penn State. “The staff was great. They really preached treating everyone like family, which was huge for me.”

Harry is slashing .304/.376/.536 in 27 games with the Bisons. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

Harry immediately became the Nittany Lions' shortstop, starting all 42 games as a freshman while hitting .268.

“There was a lot of learning, a lot of failing," he said of his first season at Happy Valley. "But learning how to fail pretty much was a big part of that year for my development. That was the first really good competition I've ever played. My high school competition wasn't great, so getting in there, seeing 90 [mph] for the first time was tough. But a lot of failing and a lot of learning.”

He went on to hit .333 with an .883 OPS as a sophomore and .299 with an .838 OPS as a junior. He finished his Penn State career with a .304 batting average, 12 home runs, and an .819 OPS. Following his junior season, Harry was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

“I was at the at the beach with my family and my then girlfriend, now fiancé, and it was surreal,” he said of the day he was drafted. “It really was one of the best days of my life.”

“I actually never spoke with the Twins before then,” he continued. “I talked with a bunch of other organizations, but never the Twins. So that caught me off guard.”

After three games in the Florida Complex League, he reported to Fort Myers in the Florida State League, where he hit .337 with an .884 OPS in 27 games.

“It was a really good start to my professional career,” Harry said. “It gave me some confidence and really showed me who I was as a player. I always go back whenever I'm struggling. I go back to those days and try to feel and think how I used to feel and think back then.”

Harry has a career high 13 home runs this season. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

In 2024, Harry hit just .214 in 82 games for High-A Cedar Rapids before receiving surprising news late in the summer—he was traded to the Blue Jays organization at the MLB trade deadline for big-league reliever Trevor Richards.

“It was a total shock,” he said of the trade. “Nobody saw it coming, especially me. I finished my first round at BP. I think it was before a Tuesday game, and my manager grabbed me by the shoulder and said, ‘Come walk with me.’ And then I found out that I was getting traded.”

He made a great first impression on his new organization, homering on the first pitch he saw as a member of the Blue Jays' High-A affiliate, the Vancouver Canadians.

“It was a pretty special first impression,” he said. “But the guys in this organization really took me in. All the guys were great. The staff was awesome, and it made the transition really easy.”

“The staff made the transition very easy,” he continued. “It's always weird going into a new group that's been together the entire year. But all those guys were great, and I became friends with a bunch of them very quick, which made the transition even easier.”

Last season, Harry hit a combined .199 with a .572 OPS while splitting the season between High-A Vancouver and Double-A New Hampshire.

“It was a tough year,” he said. “Again, a lot of learning last year. A lot of learning who I am as a player and as a person. Learning how to fight through some failures and not letting it tank my confidence.”

This season, Harry again began at New Hampshire, where he hit .325 with 8 home runs and a .934 OPS in 48 games before being promoted to Buffalo. He's hit .309 with 5 home runs and a .917 OPS in 26 games with the Bisons. He was named International League Player of the Week in just his second full week with Buffalo after going 13-for-28 (.464) with 3 home runs, 5 walks, 4 doubles, 14 RBIs, and a 1.474 OPS during the Herd's 6-game series at Iowa.

“A lot of it comes from the staff here and going through some swing changes and some approach changes have been really huge for me,” he explained of his success this year. “But a lot of it is just believing in myself and having confidence in myself, no matter what happens.”

Although he's enjoyed a breakout season, he didn't make any major adjustments last offseason.

“Nothing major, but just a couple tweaks here and there on some minor things,” he said. “A lot of approach-based things, which has really helped me a lot.”

Batting at Sahlen Field. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

Harry uses a unique batting stance, standing with his feet closer together and more upright than a typical hitter.

“I've tried a bunch of different things, and that's just made me feel the most athletic,” he explained. “Which is really what I want to try to feel in the box, just as athletic as I can be.”

After playing shortstop throughout college, Harry has added all 3 outfield positions to his defensive repertoire. He has also spent time at second base.

“I'm comfortable everywhere now,” he said. “Definitely early on in my career when I was first learning, not as much. But since I've gotten a lot of a lot of games and reps under my belt, it's gotten a lot easier.”

Harry is confident this Bisons team can make a run at the International League crown in the second half.

“We're a really good team,” he said. “We've got a lot of good arms, a lot of good hitters, and we bond very well, which I think is very important. Just taking it one day at a time, trusting each other, and hopefully that gets us where we want to be.”