Oct 23, 2018 2 min read

The Wild Things will not have the reigning Frontier League Most Valuable Player on their roster next season.

Washington announced Tuesday that it has traded center fielder James Harris to the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association in exchange for infielder Jordan Ebert.

Harris was named the Frontier League’s MVP in Sepetmber as he led the Wild Things to the Frontier League’s East Division title and the league championship series.

The only former major league first-round draft pick to play for the Wild Things, Harris played in 94 games this past season and batted .305, stole 26 bases and led the league with 75 runs, eight triples and 46 extra-base hits and 203 total bases.

A former first-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Rays, Harris is one of only two players in Wild Things history to be named Frontier League MVP. Josh Loggins (2003) was Washington’s first league MVP.

“First and foremost I want to thank James for investing so much in our organization. He was a leader in our clubhouse and delivered on the field time and time again” said assistant general manager Tony Buccilli. “It was in our best interest to help James open the next chapter of his career. James will go down as one of the most dominant players in Wild Things history despite playing for Washington for only a year and a half.”

Ebert is a former player in the Kansas City Royals and Colorado Rockies farm systems.

Over two seasons in the American Association, Ebert batted .295 with 24 doubles and 33 RBI. Ebert played his college baseball at Auburn and was a .300 hitter in three of his four seasons with the Tigers.

“We heavily pursued Jordan back in 2017 and thought very highly of his offensive traits. He has been overly productive as a Goldeye in all three aspects of the game,” Buccilli said. “Jordan should be a staple at the top of our lineup as a creator.”