The White Sox will sign Josh Harrison

White Sox agreed to a deal with a utility worker Josh HarrisonIts representatives announced on MSM Sports Management. Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter linksIt’s a one-year, $5.5 million warranty. He will receive $4 million in 2022 and the deal also contains the 2023 club option with a $1.5 million purchase.

Harrison, an MLB veteran of 11 years, remained a productive player into his mid-30s. He was never a top offensive player, save for his .315/.347/.490 display with the 2014 Pirates which earned him some MVP support in the poll. However, he has usually been a hard hitter during his MLB career, including over the past two seasons. Harrison has rebounded from a two-year slump between 2018-19 to score well since the start of the 2020 campaign.

For the past two seasons, Harrison has owned a .279/ .343/ .402 streak across 649 board appearances. That’s four percentage points better than the league average, measured by WRC+. Harrison isn’t a huge force—he’s hit 11 home runs at ISO123 (slow batting minus batting average)—but he brings excellent ball-playing skills to the table. He’s only made 13.4% of his board appearances over the past two seasons, and he’s continued with 82.7% of his flips last year. That’s more than six points higher than the league mark, and is a continuation of his long career success putting the bat on the ball.

Halfway through last season, it looked as if Harrison might be playing his way toward a multi-year contract. He’s seen regular activity bouncing between second base, third base and left field with the national team and has been hitting well above average (.294/.366/.434) in 359 board appearances through late July. A combined A got it Ian Gomez As part of breaking up Washington’s deadline, however, Harrison faltered. It only made .254/.296/.341 in his two months in the Bay Area before hitting the open market.

That downturn late in the season coupled with Harrison’s age (35 in July) limiting him to a one-year warranty. He should have a decent path to playing time on a post-season contender with the South Sides. Chicago is currently scheduled to open this year with Yuri Garcia At second base after re-signing a surprise three-year deal in November. Looking at both Harrison’s and García’s price points, the latter may still be the nominal “starter” at the cornerstone, but both players bounce around the diamond.