Pirates Could Sure Use Josh Harrison Right Now
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are in a slump and close to wasting away what could be a great season, where they really need someone to step up and lead the way.
The Pirates, in the midst of this terrible stretch of form, signed former utility man Josh Harrison to a one-day contract, where he officially retired with the team to end his professional baseball career.
Harrison is a part of the last successful tenure for the franchise, leading the Pirates to three consecutive postseasons from 2013-15 and was also a two-time All-Star in 2014 and 2017.
The Pirates may not get Harrison back on their roster, but they have much to gain from remembering and learning why he was so successful with the franchise.
What Pirates Can Learn From Harrison
The Pirates eventually got the best from Harrison in the 2014 and 2015 runs to the postseason, where he had strong seasons from the plate and also provided defensive versatility and speed.
Harrison became a fan-favorite for showing the hard work he put in every time he stepped out on the field.
There were few players more clutch than Harrison, with eight walk-off hits, including his home run off Los Angeles Dodgers left-handed starting pitcher Rich Hill in the 10th inning, securing a 1-0 win and ending a no-hitter on Aug. 23, 2017.
He also was quite nimble on the base paths, getting out of some jams that almost no other player could come out of.
Harrison won the Heart and Hustle Award in 2015 and current Pirates outfielder Jake Mangum just won it for this year, marking two players in franchise history to earn the honor.
Mangum noted how supportive Harrison has been for this year's team and remembers how hard Harrison played when he was with the Pirates.
"...His ability to play the game was awesome," Mangum said. "A lot of big at-bats, a lot of big plays. Played hard. I looked him up a little bit in the offseason when I did an interview with him when I first got traded, he played hard man. He's that grindy style player, whatever verbiage you want to use. Just played his tail off and he controlled what he could control extremely well."
That kind of play matters, and Harrison embodied that through his eight MLB seasons with the Pirates is something that all 26 players should emulate.
Pirates On Verge Of Season Getting Away
The Pirates just lost their fourth straight game, ninth game in the past 11 contests and are 7-14 following the All-Star break.
Pittsburgh is now 57-61 overall, four games below .500 for the first time this season and 5.5 games back of the final spot for the National League Wild Card Race.
Harrison isn't unaware of a season slump, as he was a part of the 2011 Pirates, who led the NL Central in the middle of July, before losing 10 straight games and finishing 72-90, plus the 2012 Pirates, who were 16 games above .500 in early August before ending up 79-83 to end the year.
What made Harrison different than most of the players on this year's team was that he was a source of confidence for his fellow Pirates teammates, rallying around them and keeping them going through tough times.
The Pirates this season really lack that kind of character, along with the play Harrison brought as a utility player, but really someone that can lead the team out of this slump that they're in.
Pittsburgh has many great players, but most of them veer towards stoic with how they express themselves.
That can be great at times, but the Pirates need someone to lead on and off the field with great ferocity and determination.
It's not the easiest path, but the Pirates have the potential to bring back postseason baseball to the city for the first time since 2015.
The real question is who will step up and become that person for the Pirates, as there are still 44 games remaining and still time for this team to achieve the goals they set back in the offseason.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.