State of the Pittsburgh Pirates 2.0: Still Hanging On

Jun 24, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco (25), left fielder Adam Frazier (26), and center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) celebrate after the Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 7-3 at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco (25), left fielder Adam Frazier (26), and center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) celebrate after the Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 7-3 at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports /
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Pittsburgh Pirates
Jun 21, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Josh Harrison (5) steals second base in the first inning during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

Offensive MVP: Josh Harrison
Stats (Through 6/27): 2.4 WAR, .369 OBP, 116 OPS+, 9 Homers, 27 RBI, 121 WRC+, .347 WOBA
I was a skeptic of Harrison for about a year, but now I am starting to come around. The difference between 2017 Jay-Hay vs. what he has been for most of his career boils down to one thing, and that’s plate discipline

As of June 27, Harrison’s walk rate sits at 6.6%. If that holds up, it will be the highest of his career. A higher walk rate leads to a higher on-base percentage, and Jay-Hay’s .369 clip is 47 points above his career total.

Jay-Hay is also hitting for more power. His .458 slugging percentage is 32 points ahead of his career mark, and his .828 OPS is 89 points above his career average.

There is still a lot of baseball left, and Harrison can cool off at any moment. But for right now, there isn’t a lot not to like about the way he has performed in 2017. All we can do as fans are sit back and hope it continues. Harrison is a class act and plays the game the right way.