Fantasy Profile: Josh Harrison, 3B, Pittsburgh Pirates

Welcome back to the 2015 Last Word on Fantasy Baseball Guide. Over the next several months we will be releasing player profiles, projections, position rankings, and a number of other articles that will help you dominate your fantasy league this season. Whether you play rotisserie or head-to-head; whether you have a standard draft, a snake or an auction league, and whether its keeper league or a one-year deal; we have all the fantasy information you need.

For the rest of our fantasy baseball profiles and articles, please check out our Fantasy Baseball Guide Page.

FANTASY PROFILE: JOSH HARRISON, 3B, PITTSBURGH PIRATES

LWOS Ranking 12, Captain’s Value: $10.27

Some players are industry darlings, some are cast aside as overrated because they had what was perceived as an outlandish season; Josh Harrison of Pittsburgh falls into the latter category – however, you could be overlooking a solid third base value play by listening to the masses and bypassing Harrison this year.

Even though Harrison recorded a .315 Batting Average that was fueled by a .353 BABIP and seemingly unsustainable hit rate, he was among the Top 15 league leaders in “Hard-Hit Rate” at 21.2% and had produced some high BABIP figures in the minors (.333 and .360 in AAA, .319 in AA, .355 in A). There is some likely regression to be had in the Batting Average, but his underlying skill set does not warrant the low projections in the .280 range that most are forecasting; a .290 to .300 figure is more likely in my opinion.

While Harrison is never going to be a 20-homer player, he still should settle in around a dozen and has always been a good base stealer; with a full time job at 3B from the outset of Spring Training, you should be looking at a .295/80/12/55/20 stat line which will provide a pretty good return on a pick in the 8^th to 9^th round of your draft.

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