Josh Harrison Publicizes Retirement – MLB Commerce Rumors
After 13 Main League seasons, Josh Harrison formally introduced his retirement precisely 14 years to the day after he performed in his first MLB recreation. The 37-year-old Harrison thanked his household, teammates, and the numerous others in his life that contributed to his profession in a put up on his X account, and ended his assertion by thanking baseball itself:
“Thanks for serving to form me, humble me, and provides me a platform to develop, not simply as a participant, however as a person. I’m blessed to have been a 2x All-Star and to play for so long as I did, however I by no means sought to show individuals incorrect, solely to show myself proper in my beliefs. With that being stated, future gamers don’t let different individuals’s expectations of you restrict you from reaching your full potential. Put within the work and go get what you deserve.”
A sixth-round choose for the Cubs within the 2008 draft, Harrison by no means suited up for the Cubs on the MLB stage, as he was dealt inside the NL Central to the Pirates as a part of a five-player commerce deadline swap in July 2009. Harrison made his huge league debut with Pittsburgh in 2011 after which spent the subsequent eight seasons with the Bucs, enjoying a number of positions however primarily dealing with second and third base.
As Harrison famous, he was named to 2 All-Star groups in his profession, in 2014 and 2017. The 2014 marketing campaign was the very best of Harrison’s profession, as he hit .315/.347/.490 with 13 homers over 550 plate appearances, and ending ninth in NL MVP voting to assist lead the Pirates to a wild card berth. Andrew McCutchen was undoubtedly the largest star of that period of Pirates baseball, however Harrison’s emergence as an everyday (and in 2014, a star in his personal proper) contributed to the core of a Pittsburgh membership that reached the postseason yearly from 2013-15.
Harrison cashed in on his 2014 efficiency by signing a four-year, $27.3MM extension with the Pirates in April 2015. The contract additionally contained membership choices for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, however the Bucs declined the primary of these choices (paying Harrison a $1MM buyout as an alternative of a $10.5MM wage for 2019) following the 2018 marketing campaign. Past the truth that the Pirates have historically been cautious of even average spending, Harrison’s efficiency dipped in 2018, and he spent a very good chunk of the season on the injured listing as a result of a fractured hand.
The final 5 seasons of Harrison’s profession noticed him hit .254/.314/.367 over 1335 PA with the Tigers, Nationals, Athletics, White Sox, and Phillies from 2019-23. He hit fairly effectively with Washington in 2020 and within the first a part of the 2021 season, although his bat cooled off after being dealt to the A’s on the 2021 commerce deadline. Past these big-league appearances, Harrison additionally signed minor league contracts with the Rangers in 2023 and with the Reds in 2024, although these offers didn’t translate to any time on the MLB stage. The latter contract represented a little bit of a homecoming for the Cincinnati native, however Harrison opted out of his take care of the Reds throughout Spring Coaching 2024 after being informed he wasn’t making the crew.
For his profession, Harrison hit .270/.316/.396 with 73 dwelling runs, 1080 hits, 218 doubles, 91 steals (out of 128 makes an attempt) over 4347 plate appearances and 1208 video games. The utilityman performed at the very least one recreation at each place besides catcher over the course of his profession, together with six mop-up appearances on the mound.
We at MLB Commerce Rumors congratulate Harrison on a superb profession, and we want him all the very best in his post-playing days.