Fantasy Baseball: Pick Up Pittsburgh Pirates OF Josh Harrison While You Still Can

By Timothy Downs
Pirates
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As we reach the halfway point of the 2014 MLB season, quite a few players who were not on many fantasy baseball owners’ radars have emerged as very solid and productive fantasy options. Perhaps no player better proves that statement more than Pittsburgh Pirates OF/2B, Josh Harrison.

Harrison went undrafted this offseason and got an opportunity to play more due to injuries and ineffectiveness around the Pirates’ clubhouse. In 221 plate appearances, Harrison is batting .306 with five HRs, 24 RBIs and seven stolen bases. He is getting on base at a solid .345 clip, and has scored an adequate 30 runs. Harrison truly does a bit of everything.

Another quality Harrison possesses for fantasy purposes is the fact that he is eligible at 2B, 3B and outfield on most host sites, which is invaluable and means he will be in your lineup essentially everyday when his play warrants it. Currently, Harrison is available in around 26 percent of ESPN leagues and is being added at a fast pace. On Yahoo!, however, he is available in 57 percent of leagues at only 43 percent owned.

In the past, Harrison has been very streaky and after showing glimpses of brilliance would go through a big time slump and fizzle out. This season, however, he has been incredibly consistent over his first 200 at-bats and warrants a spot on your roster. 

Despite 2B Neil Walker‘s return and OF Gregory Polanco‘s emergence, the prevailing thought is Harrison will still make five starts per week, which is fine as it also gives you the ability to rotate him with others on your roster. He has a PR 15 of 7.47 on ESPN currently, which means he is hot right now. Don’t miss out.

Timothy Downs is a fantasy sports writer for www.RantSports.com. You can add him on Google or follow on Twitter @Tidow1212.

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