Utility man Josh Harrison now has a defined role on this team as the starting second baseman. That will help him become a more consistent player and produce for the Pirates on a regular basis.
Josh Harrison has played all over the baseball field for the Pittsburgh Pirates throughout his career. He has played games at second base, short stop, third base, right field, and left field. This versatility has made him a valuable asset to the Pirates. He has also produced consistently over the course of his career, and as a result he has a more solidified role for the Pirates in 2016.
With the departure of Neil Walker, Harrison is now slated in as the everyday second baseman for the Pirates this year. Harrison came up through the minor leagues as a second baseman and gets to move back to that position this season. I see the move boding well for Harrison as he no longer has to worry about whether or not his name will be on the lineup card on a consistent basis.
Last season, Harrison hit .287 with four home runs and 28 RBI playing in a bunch of different roles. Over his career with the Pirates he is hitting .284 with 24 home runs and 126 RBI in five years with Pittsburgh. Harrison was not a household name until the 2014 season. This is when he broke out, hitting .315 with 13 home runs and 52 RBI, and showed his versatility on the field.
One of the pluses on Harrison offensively is his ability to get on base. He does not have a lot of power in his bat, but through extra base hits and walks he gets on base on a consistent basis. Last season he had an on-base percentage of .327, which is just above league average. He also gathered 163 total bases last season in his 120 hits.
Harrison had a total of 34 extra base hits last year including 29 doubles. With Harrison's speed, extra base hits will be a big factor for him this year. If he is able to work the gaps and consistently hit doubles and get himself in scoring position, that will be a big plus for the Pirates this season. He might not have the speed of Andrew McCutchen or Starling Marte, but he can still turn a regular single into a double in the blink of an eye.
When he is not hitting the gaps, he is still getting balls through the infield at a very high rate. His BABIP last season sat at .336, which is way above the league average of .300. When the ball is put in play, Harrison has the ability to make it a base hit both with his bat control and his legs. If Harrison can stay consistent with his career so far, he will be a good player in Pittsburgh's lineup.
I can see Harrison spending most of the year at the lead off position for Pittsburgh. I think Gregory Polanco will be moved down in the lineup, giving Harrison the top spot. This suits Harrison because he is a very patient hitter at the plate. Last season, he saw 3.49 pitches per plate appearance. This patience will suit the Pirates nicely at the top of the lineup and will help wear a pitcher down late in the ball game.
The move to the everyday second baseman role also helps Harrison out offensively. Of the multitude of positions that he plays, his fielding percentage is best at second base, .982. This was his natural position as he made his way through the minor leagues and now he gets to play it everyday at the major league level.
In playing 605.2 innings at the position he has only committed six errors. The move to second will help eliminate some of the throwing errors he committed at third base last season. He commited nine errors at third base last season and that contributed to his poor fielding percentage. The move to second base will help his defense out tremendously.
For the first time in the last couple of years, the Pirates will have a speedster at second base. Neil Walker brought power to the position over his time with the Pirates, but the speed was never there and, although one of the best defenders in the league, there are some balls that Walker could not get to due to a lack of speed.
Over the course of his career, Harrison has a range factor of 3.37. To put this in to perspective, Pirates great short stop Jack Wilson had a career 4.61 range factor at his position. So, While Harrison is not quite up with the greats at his position, he still has a very solid range factor at second base. This will help the Pirates immensely because Harrison will be able to make some of the plays that Walker, who's range factor is 2.33, was unable to make.
Harrison brings a lot of hustle and heart to the Pirates lineup this season. He showed this back in 2014 when he one the MLBPAA Heart & Hustle award for his on-field play. We have seen Harrison hustle all around the field and show a real passion for the game. This caused the Pirates to sign Harrison to a four-year 27.3 million dollar contract last season that could keep Harrison with the Pirates until 2020. For the Pirates, they will have many more seasons of Harrison ahead and that is a good sign of things to come.
Josh Harrison and the rest of the Pirates are back in action today when they take on the Boston Red Sox at Jet Blue Park. The Red Sox will throw their ace on the mound David Price (0-1 3.86). The Pirates will counter with Ryan Vogelsong (0-1 4.00). First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
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