What Should The Pittsburgh Pirates Do At Second Base?

Second baseman Josh Harrison will most likely miss the rest of the season. So, what should the Pittsburgh Pirates do at second base?

In Saturday night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds the Pittsburgh Pirates lost more than just the game. The free falling Bucs also lost second baseman Josh Harrison. Harrison injured his right groin when he smacked a two-run double into the right-center gap in the bottom of the sixth inning on Saturday night.

In his weekly radio show with Pirates’ broadcaster Greg Brown, general manager Neal Huntington shed some light on Harrison’s condition. Huntington said that this is not a day-to-day injury. Furthermore, the Pirates’ GM said that Harrison will most likely miss the remainder of the 2016 season.

With the injury to Harrison the question becomes what should the Pittsburgh Pirates do at second base for the remainder of the 2016 season? When Harrison exited Saturday’s game Sean Rodriguez came into the game to play second base. Rodriguez also started at second base on Sunday.

Sean Rodriguez is having the best season of his Major League career. He has a .335 on-base percentage, .472 slugging percentage, .343 wOBA, and a 116 wRC+ this season, all of which are career highs. However, in my opinion, Rodriguez is not the player that should be at second base while Josh Harrison is out.

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The reason I believe this is simple. Sean Rodriguez is not part of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ future plans. Sean will be a free agent after the season, and due to the season he has had some team will give him a contract that is overpaying him. Therefore, Sean’s days in Pittsburgh are numbered.

The Pirates need to start playing for 2017. Due to this, the second base duties should be divvied up between two players the rest of the season. These two players are Adam Frazier and Alen Hanson.

Adam Frazier was not in the Pirates’ starting line up on Sunday. However, he did play in the game. He took over in left field for Gregory Polanco after he was ejected for arguing balls and strikes, and he went 1-for-2.

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Frazier is having a great rookie season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 96 plate appearances he owns a .341/.375/.505/.880 slash line, a .377 wOBA, a 139 wRC+, and a 1.1 WAR. Frazier has also given the Pirates great position flexibility playing the corner outfield spots, third base, second base, and he has a 2.5 dWAR.

Aug 23, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier (26) runs the bases on his way to scoring a run against the Houston Astros during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Adam Frazier will enter the 2017 season as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ super utility man off their bench. If he continues to play well next season and Josh Harrison struggles again, he could potentially supplant Harrison as the everyday second baseman. Frazier needs to be accumulating at bats in the coming weeks.

Then there is Alen Hanson. The former top-100 prospect earned a September call up for the Pirates. He made his Major League debut earlier this season when he spent three days on the 25-man roster, and had two at bats.

Hanson now has six career plate appearances. In those six plate appearances he is 1-for-6, and he has been caught stealing once. The switch-hitting Hanson has elite speed, and while he can play some outfield, he is primarily a second baseman.

Hanson is a player who intrigues me for 2017. I believe he could be a major player for the Pirates in 2017. Due to this I would like to see Hanson make some starts in the coming weeks to see what he can do.

The Pittsburgh Pirates need to start playing for 2017. Adam Frazier and Alen Hanson could each play a big role for the 2017 Pirates. Due to this, they should be splitting playing time at second base the rest of the 2016 season.

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