Pedro Alvarez, a 2013 All-Star selection, National League home run leader, and 2014 starting 3rd baseman not only lost his job to Josh Harrison in 2014, but we may have seen him play his last inning in a Pirate uniform. From an offensive standpoint the numbers were not terrible. Alvarez hit .231 with 18 home runs and 56 runs batted in, in 122 games. The problem was in the field. Alvarez has always been a below average 3rd baseman defensively, but this year was the worst to date. The Pirates even tried moving him to 1st base because Alvarez got to the point where he was no longer able to make an accurate throw across the diamond to 1st base. Alvarez averaged about an error every 4 games, finishing the year with 25 errors in 99 games played at 3rd base.
So if Alvarez had such a dissapointing 2014 season, how the the Pirates manage to make their way to the postseason for a 2nd consecutive year? The answer to that question is Josh Harrison. Harrison was arguably the best story of the year in all of baseball. He basically came out tof nowhere and became an All-Star right in front of our eyes. Harrison has been with the Pirates for 4 years now, but before 2014 he never played in more than 104 games and his primary role was as a utility player, fillling in for players who needed a day off or to provide a spark. Harrison is an NL MVP candidate, finishing the year 2nd in the NL batting race with a .315 average, 13 home runs, 52 runs batted in, and 18 stolen bases. Not to mention Harrison was very solid defensively at 3rd base. He had 3 errors in 72 games at the hot corner for a .984 fielding percentage. Harrison found a home at 3rd base with Alvarez's struggles, but Harrison also played left and right field, shortstop, and 2nd base. Without Harrison's career year, the Pirates would not have had a successful season like they did.
It may not have been the way that they drew it up, but the Pirates couldn't have asked for better numbers from a 3rd baseman than what Harrison provided them with. It will be interesting to see if he can have a repeat performance in 2015, but regardless he deserves a shot to do so with the Pirates at 3rd base next year.
***Overall Grade: A+
