FALMOUTH, Mass. — When a 5-year-old Connor “Bear” Harrison went to his brother Kyle’s Little League games in Danville, California, he couldn’t sit still.
Harrison would constantly field grounders off the back of the dugouts and even climb nearby trees. His father, Chris, said the antics continued until the final out. Harrison’s shirt was usually soaked with sweat.
Then, he was known as “Connor.” But one of his father’s friends said his work ethic resembled a bear. The name stuck. Now, everyone calls him “Bear,” even his parents.
“He's just into it for hours at a time. He's climbing trees, then he's looking around trying to get candy,” Chris said. “And my buddy's like, ‘He's such a bear, dude.’”
Since those days, Harrison is still influenced by his brother. Kyle, who’s three-and-a-half years older, pitched for MLB’s San Francisco Giants from 2023-25 and was recently traded to the Boston Red Sox in the blockbuster Rafael Devers deal.
Harrison, a rising junior catcher for Texas A&M, is currently navigating his own career, which included a transfer from Saint Mary’s and now a summer with the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Falmouth Commodores. Through it all, the brothers remain tight, as Harrison also tries to become a big leaguer.
“We're on such different paths,” Harrison said. “I think he just wants me to do what I love and just be the best catcher I could be out there.”
With Falmouth, Harrison has improved after a slow start. He’s slashing .282/.359/.449 along with three homers and 14 RBIs, earning him a CCBL All-Star Game spot. Defensively, Commodores manager Jarrod Saltalamacchia, a former MLB catcher, has helped him refine his transfers and throw-downs.
“Bear's been phenomenal behind the plate,” Saltalamacchia said Sunday. “He's been consistent with his receiving, his throws to second. At the plate, the consistency part is what we're gonna work on, but I think the defense has been great.”
Harrison’s Falmouth career started with a bang. But not on the field.
In the sixth inning of the third game of the season versus Harwich, Saltalamacchia received a notification on his Apple Watch alerting him of the Devers trade and Kyle’s involvement.
Once Saltalamacchia relayed the news, Harrison was stunned. But as it set in, he realized its significance. With Harrison on Cape Cod and Kyle starting in AAA Worcester, the two were playing in the same area for the first time since Harrison’s freshman year at Saint Mary’s. The move was exciting for two brothers who’ve always had a tight bond.
“I was just always there for him, wherever that may be, especially during COVID when nobody else could do anything,” Harrison said. “I was pretty much his guy.”
That relationship was built early on. Chris said they’d often compete against each other in backyard games of Wiffle ball, football and soccer as kids. When one wasn’t hitting in Wiffle ball, they took turns catching the other.
As beach lifeguards in the summer, they’d also run one-on-one drills in the sand and 100-yard swimming races. Chris added Kyle was often hard on Harrison, but it only made him stronger once he got older.
“Kyle was very competitive, and we always would laugh, ‘One day, man, he's gonna be bigger, stronger and better than you, Kyle,’” Chris said.
They took different paths in high school. Kyle dominated on the mound at De La Salle High School (California) from 2017-20. He was then chosen in the third round of the 2020 MLB Draft by the Giants.
Harrison took his own route.
As a right-handed catcher, he wasn’t as sought after as his brother. Chris described Kyle as a “unicorn,” throwing mid-90s from the left side. De La Salle head coach David Jeans tabbed him as a draft pick as a freshman in high school.
Still, Harrison had his own calling card: He was one of the best hitting high school catchers in the country, posting a 1.089 OPS as a senior.
“From his freshman year, I think (Harrison) always thought he'd be a pro player,” Jeans said. “And I love it because it wasn't an automatic thing. Bear had to work a lot harder, he didn't have (Kyle’s) natural skill set.”
Following the 2020 Draft, Harrison’s parents moved their younger son from the Bay Area to Southern California to get him more exposure. They quickly realized it wasn’t a fit — scouts needed to relearn Bear’s name, and he missed home.
So, Harrison returned to De La Salle as a junior. That ended up being the right decision.
Despite mostly playing first base initially, he blossomed into DLS’ best player in his senior year, Jeans said. Previously, Harrison had trouble hitting curveballs. But as a bigger, physical player, he realized he’d receive heavy doses of them. By working on it in the offseason, he improved his already phenomenal plate discipline.
Behind the dish, De La Salle pitching coach Clayton Tanner said he taught Harrison how to call pitches. But Harrison also learned from his brother.
Kyle emphasized a catcher is a pitcher’s assistant. He told Harrison to be vocal and do anything a pitcher needs to win.
The brothers also trained together in the MLB offseason. When Kyle was with the Eugene Emeralds and San Jose Giants, San Francisco’s High A and Single A affiliates, respectively, Harrison often caught Kyle and his teammates’ bullpens.
He’d typically receive 95-plus mile per hour fastballs and stellar offspeed pitches, which he wasn’t seeing in high school.
“Being a young catcher, you're not catching great arms,” Harrison said. “I got a head start by catching people that Kyle knew and catching that velo at such a young age.”
Still, Harrison didn’t receive much attention out of high school. He wasn’t drafted like Kyle, so he searched for a mid-major where he could play as a freshman.
Harrison originally committed to Long Beach State but flipped to Saint Mary’s after LBS head coach Eric Valenzuela moved to the Gaels. It was Harrison’s only real offer, so he accepted.
He earned the starting job right away. Harrison started the second game of an Opening Day doubleheader against Oakland, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs. From there, he was in the lineup nearly every day, slashing .322/.410/.541 with eight homers on the year.
“We had a couple of older guys there, and normally those guys get the shot before the young guy,” former Saint Mary’s catcher Hayden Driggs said. “But he got off to a hot start and was able to keep that momentum going.”
But Harrison knew if he wanted to follow in his brother’s footsteps, he needed to face the best players and get the best training.
Harrison turned to the SEC. And nearly every program called once he entered the portal.
He whittled down his options to Texas A&M, LSU, South Carolina and Ole Miss. A&M stood out the most. The Aggies had just one catcher on their roster, and head coach Michael Earley craved a reliable backstop. Harrison fit the bill. Earley said his 6-foot-3, 230-pound stature wowed him, and he believed his staff could unlock even more of Harrison’s power.
Harrison felt similarly, especially since A&M had been the national runner-up the year prior. He committed on July 10, 2024.
“He looked like a guy that could be a future big leaguer, so that's obviously something that everyone's attracted to,” Earley said. “He’s an SEC-caliber catcher.”
Becoming the starter wasn’t as easy with the Aggies. Harrison originally backed up USC transfer Jacob Galloway, who Earley mentioned had a better fall. But Harrison kept working and eventually broke through.
After a March game where he launched two dingers against Corpus Christi, he earned the full-time job. He played almost every inning of every game following the performance.
The playing time helped him catch fire. After Earley added a toe tap to his swing, Harrison hit 21-for-45 (.467) across a three-week stretch from late March to mid-April. He finished the season with 10 homers and 34 RBIs.
Now, Harrison’s success has transitioned to Cape Cod, where he’s reconnected with his brother.
After not seeing each other in a year, Harrison and his host family traveled to Worcester to see Kyle pitch in mid-July. The two brothers also met up after a Commodores game at Guv Fuller Field. They both enjoyed playing in the same area again.
The get-togethers also reignited a long-time dream — being battery mates at the MLB level, this time for the Red Sox.
“They would always talk about the pipe dream, catching his brother for the Giants one day,” Chris said. “But now that story is full circle. Could they both be in Boston one day? Who knows?”
Noah Nussbaum is the beat reporter for the Falmouth Commodores. You can read all of his articles on the Commodores here.
