Pirates News: Josh Harrison Is Joining Team USA

The World Baseball Classic is starting next week, and there has been addition to the United States team.

Pirates second baseman Josh Harrison is joining fellow teammate Andrew McCutchen on the USA Baseball team for the classic.  Ken Rosenthal reported this on late Saturday morning.

Josh Harrison was shut down last season after a groin injury suffered on September 10th.  Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette also reported that Harrison still had problems dealing with a thumb surgery he had in the previous year.  Nesbitt wrote,

"While the groin injury occurred Sept. 10, the thumb injury had lingered longer. The troubles stemmed from the surgery Harrison had July 8, 2015, to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb.Harrison feels he rushed back from rehab. An inability to properly bear weight on the left side impacted his offseason training, and that in turn played a part in his streaky 2016 season."

With Harrison joining the United States, we can assume Harrison is of full health and ready to play a full slate of games, with no lingering problems from the 2015 surgery or his groin injury.  Last season, Harrison played in 131 games and had only 522 plate appearances.  His bat was disappointing, posting a TAv of just .254, ranking 23rd of 25 second baseman with 400 or more plate appearances.

His defense, however, remained up to the standards that Josh Harrison has shown in the past.  Harrison posted eight defensive runs saved, finishing fourth in baseball, but first in the National League.  Harrison’s defensive ability and his base running – Harrison finished sixth among second baseman in BsR – are probably what led to his addition on the club.

What this means for the Pirates, is the opportunity for Alen Hanson, Phil Gosselin, Adam Frazier, and perhaps even Max Moroff to show case their skills and play.  The Pirates currently only have three of the five bench spots locked up – David Freese, John Jaso, and Chris Stewart – but Frazier would be a solid bet as being a member of the bench as well.

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With Harrison joining the World Baseball classic, replacing Matt Carpenter, Hanson, Gosselin, and Moroff have the opportunity for more playing time in their fight for the last bench spot, and being the super utility.

*Numbers from fangraphs and baseball prospectus