Harrison's promise to Sox fans: 'I'm going to give them everything I've got'

GLENDALE, Ariz. - For White Sox fans unfamiliar with new second baseman Josh Harrison, we're here to help.

Well, sort of.

At the Sox's Camelback Ranch training camp Monday morning, Harrison was asked to describe himself as a player. The outgoing veteran had an introspective answer.

"I can show you better than I can tell you," Harrison said. "I can sit here and say what I do, but at the end of the day my play on the field speaks for itself. You'll see me having fun, you'll see me playing hard, you'll see me pulling for my guys."

But what about the statistics, Josh? What kind of numbers are you going to put up this season?

"I'm not going to sit here and say I'm going to hit 30 homers, 20 homers, I'm going to hit this many doubles," Harrison said with an easy laugh. "Some guys like to describe who they are as a player. I'm not going to describe who I am as a player. I'm going to leave that up to the fans on the South Side.

"I will say when I'm out there, I have fun. I play hard. I'm going to give them everything I've got."

If he's able to stay healthy, Harrison can give the White Sox quite a bit.

Dating back to 2015 season, the 34-year-old veteran has missed lengthy stretches with a torn thumb ligament, strained groin, broken hand, another broken hand, a sore shoulder and a pulled hamstring.

Last year, which he split between the Nationals and Athletics, Harrison stayed relatively healthy and hit a combined .279/.341/.400 with 33 doubles, 8 home runs and a career-high 60 RBI over 138 games.

"Health is a big part of it," Harrison said. "There's no secret to it, everybody at this level can play the game. The ones that can stick it out are the ones that have fought through some adversity. Some of that adversity may be playing on the field, some of it may be adversity getting back on the field.

"I've dealt with adversity in many different ways, but it's not anything that was ever going to keep me down because I knew once I'm healthy I know what I can do."

A two-time all-star, Harrison signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Sox just over a week ago. The deal includes a $5.5 million option for next season with a $1.5 million buyout.

"I'm blessed," Harrison said. "I'm fortunate to be in this situation. When this opportunity was presented to me, I felt it was the right fit."

While he can play all over the field, the 5-foot-8, 190-pound Harrison is likely going to spend most of his time at second base.

"They (White Sox) were one of quite a few teams that came after me, Harrison said. "But the fit here just felt right, for what they wanted me to play, second base. That's one of the things with free agency that can work in your favor. When you have a few options, you can kind of pick and choose."

Manager Tony La Russa is thrilled to have Harrison on the roster.

"When you have a good reputation, you know what's a real good reputation? Every place you've ever been they all say the say thing," La Russa said. "That's Josh. He was a real good fit for us and it worked out. He's what you look for. Competitor, teammate, knows how to win all that stuff. Will do anything, play anywhere."