Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Liover Peguero Potential Josh Harrison 2.0

Once a consensus top 100 prospect, Liover Peguero's prospect stock has dropped some in recent seasons but he could develop into playing a role with the Pittsburgh Pirates similar to that of a former multiple time All-Star

Ahead of Monday's Grapefruit League matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies, former Pirate utility man Josh Harrison caught up with ex-teammate Andrew McCutchen. Meeting with the media, Harrison discussed how a potential return to the Pirates could never be counted out.

While that is a discussion for a different day, a discussion worth having today is about a Pirate prospect who could develop into a Harrison type player. That prospect is middle infielder Liover Peguero.

This is not to say that Peguero is going to become a multi-time All-Star the way Harrison has in his career. However, there are a lot of similarities between the two players. This is why you can envision a scenario where Peguero develops into a player that plays a similar role for the Pittsburgh Pirates to the one that Harrison once did.

Like Harrison, Peguero is an uber athletic player who plays the game with a high level of energy. In fact, Peguero, who stole 28 bases at Double-A last season, may be an even better athlete than Harrison was in his prime.

Peguero could also spark a lineup the way Harrison used to do for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He could also be a spark plug at the top of the lineup as a non-traditional leadoff hitter, once again similar to Harrison.

Peguero also brings a lot of positional flexibility to the table the way Harrison did. During his time with the Pirates, Harrison played every position except first base, catcher, and center field. Peguero can also play all over the field, however, he likely has the athleticism to play center field if necessary.

Sticking with defense, Peguero, while he struggles at the position defensively, is a superior defender at shortstop to Harrison. This could make Peguero even more valuable as a super utility man than Harrison had.

The two players are similar hitters as well. They are contact first hitters, who strikeout and walk at below league average rates. Peguero has hit for more power in the minor leagues than Harrison did, and he could have a higher power potential in the majors.

Peguero made his MLB debut last summer, going 1-for-3 with a walk. He will likely start this season at Triple-A Indianapolis and could join the MLB roster in a full-time capacity at some point this summer. When that happens, it would not be a surprise to see him develop into a role similar to the one once filled by Harrison.