GhLinks Media
Vince Harrison Jr ( born 1980 – age 44 years old) is an American baseball coach who is currently the head coach for the Dayton Dragons, a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.
Early life and playing career
Vince Harrison Jr. played at Princeton High School in Cincinnati before starring in both baseball and football at the University of Kentucky.
He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2001 and spent four years as a player in their farm system, reaching the Double-A level.
His best seasons came in 2003 with Charleston (.275 batting average with 19 home runs) and 2004 with Bakersfield and Montgomery (.275, 16 home runs, .838 OPS).
Coaching career
After Harrison’s playing career ended following the 2011 season, he was hired as a coach by the Pirates.
He joined the Diamondbacks organization as a hitting coach in 2014 and spent five years in that role before becoming a manager.
In 2019, he was the manager for Kane County, an Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate, and led the club to an outstanding record of 81-58, tying for most victories in the league that season.
He managed for three years in the Diamondbacks system before joining the Reds organization in 2023 as a coach with Louisville.
He served as a coach with the Reds Triple-A club, the Louisville Bats, in 2023. Harrison Jr. also enjoyed a nine-year professional career as a player, playing in the Rays, Mets, and Marlins systems as a third baseman.
Harrison Jr.’s Coaching History
*Year Team League Class Position *
- 2012 West Virginia South Atlantic A Hitting Coach
- 2014 Missoula Pioneer Rookie Hitting Coach
- 2015 Kane County Midwest A Hitting Coach
- 2016 Visalia California A Hitting Coach
- 2017 Visalia California A Hitting Coach
- 2018 Jackson Southern AA Hitting Coach
- 2019 Kane County Midwest A Manager
- 2021 Hillsboro Northwest High-A Manager
- 2022 Hillsboro Northwest High-A Manager
- 2023 Louisville International AAA Coach
Family
Harrison, Jr. is part of a big baseball family.
His younger brother, Josh Harrison, is an active Major League player with more than 1,000 career base hits and has been selected to play in the MLB all-star game two times, both while with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Their uncle, John Shelby, spent 11 years in the Major Leagues as a center fielder, mostly with the Orioles and Dodgers, and reached the 20-home run mark two times.
Two cousins also played professionally.
