Josh Harrison Named a National League All-Star

For the second time in his now 7 year Major League career Pirate second baseman Josh Harrison is a National League All-Star.

The 2017 Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, July 11th at Marlins Park in Miami. When this game is played, the Pittsburgh Pirates will have just one representative. This representative will be second baseman Josh Harrison.

This marks the second time in Josh Harrison’s Major League career that he has been an All-Star. The other time came during the 2014 season when he finished in the top-10 in the National League in MVP voting.

2017 has been by far Harrison’s best season since 2014. He currently owns a .353 wOBA and a 120 wRC+, both of which are second on the team behind just Andrew McCutchen. His 6.2 percent walk rate and .369 on-base percentage are both career highs, while he also leads the National League in hit by pitches with 18.

Josh Harrison leads the Pirates with a 2.3 fWAR through the first 82 games of the season. A big reason for this is that he is having yet another fantastic season defensively. Harrison has been an above average fielder at both second base and third base this season while holding his own in the outfield as well.

Josh Harrison’s aforementioned 2.3 fWAR is tied with Daniel Murphy for tops among all National League second basemen. It goes without saying this is a well deserved honor for Harrison.

While Josh Harrison certainly deserved to be a National League All-Star, the Pirates had a few snubs as well. Andrew McCutchen and Ivan Nova both deserved to be a National League All-Star. Additionally, Felipe Rivero may have been the single biggest All-Star snub. However, it is possible that one of these players could be added to the roster between now and next Tuesday.

Next: Pirates Swept by Giants

For the second time in four years, Josh Harrison is a National League All-Star. Congrats, J-Hay!!!