Harrison, Mercer, now with Tigers, reminisce on Pirates taken in Lakeland, Fla. (Courtesy of StepOutside.org)

JOSH HARRISON, LEFT, AND JORDY MERCER, RIGHT, CHAT WITH FORMER PIRATES TEAMMATE COLIN MORAN. - JOHN PERROTTO / DKPS

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison have moved on from their time with the Pirates and now form the rebuilding Tigers’ new double-play combination.

Well, Harrison has moved on. Perhaps not so much for Mercer.

Both had spent their entire careers in Pittsburgh -- eight years for Harrison, seven for Mercer – before signing with Detroit as free agents.

“It’s a fresh start for me and my family,” Harrison said Saturday before the Pirates and Tigers played in an exhibition game at Joker Marchant Stadium. “Pittsburgh was good to me. It was close to home (Cincinnati) and we made a lot of great friends. My wife made a lot of friends who she still keeps in close contact with. It was inevitable that I’d be somewhere else and wearing a different uniform, though. At the end of the day, life is what it is. You’ve got to take it and roll with it.”

The Pirates declined the club option in Harrison’s contract for 2019, and he was not surprised. Mercer, too, did not expect to be re-signed.

Nevertheless, Mercer can’t help but wonder what might have been during his time with the Pirates. They were a National League wild card for three straight seasons from 2013-15 but never advanced past the NLDS round in ’13, losing to the Cardinals in five games.

Like many players from those teams, Mercer can only wish Bob Nutting would have given Neal Huntington the budget to pursue more impactful help at the trade deadlines.

Mercer didn’t truly realize how close those teams were to reaching the World Series until having a recent conversation with former Pirates manager Jim Leyland, now a special assistant with the Tigers.

“He said, ‘Man, you guys had some really good teams in ‘13, ‘14, and ‘15 but you were just missing a couple of pieces,’ ” Mercer said. “It makes you reflect back on where we would’ve been if we would’ve just added another piece. Who knows what could’ve happened if we added a piece here and there? We took the Cardinals to Game 5 of NLDS. If we would’ve won that game, who knows where we would’ve gone after that? You reflect on how good we were and that you got to experience those playoff games. Not everybody gets to experience the playoffs and to go three years in a row was pretty cool.”

The Tigers are unlikely to reach the postseason this season following consecutive 98-loss seasons. However, they are counting on Mercer and Harrison to stabilize the infield and mentor the younger players.

“Josh and I have been taking a lot of ground balls with a lot of young kids,” Mercer said. “We’re constantly talking and going over information that I didn’t know as a young player either. The third day I was here I was taking ground balls with a 20-year-old, a 21-year-old, and a 22-year-old. I was 10 years older than the oldest one. They were also 10-years-old when I was drafted into pro ball. That puts things in perspective. One, you’re grateful to be here this long. Two, you were in their shoes at one time. As long as you can share the information and realize that you have a good combination with me and Josh, we feed off each other and know what each other is going to do. It makes your job a lot easier as well.”

It wasn’t the grand plan of either Mercer or Harrison to stay together as a double-play combination.

The Tigers targeted Mercer early in free agency and signed him to a one-year, $5.25 million contract Dec. 14. Harrison, meanwhile, was not signed until Feb. 23 and got just a one-year, $2 million deal.

“It was more Jordy bringing me over here, I think,” Harrison said with a smile. “I talked to Jordy quite a bit and he felt there could be a good opportunity here for me. He was able to make the transition smoother and get me up to speed.”

Added Mercer: “I didn’t know it was going to actually work out but I’m glad it did.”

Both players had a chance to catch up with Clint Hurdle during batting practice. Their old manager was happy to see them.

“I had communication with them during the winter and when they both caught on with the (Tigers),” Hurdle said. “They’re fulfilling a life-long dream of mine to play for the Tigers with that Old English ‘D.’ As a kid growing up in Michigan, listening to Ernie Harwell and your favorite player ever being Al Kaline, it’s pretty cool. They meant a lot to our guys. They were both dependable guys who were able to help us navigate through the end of a 20-year drought and put us in a position where expectations have changed and are much higher. They helped create a clubhouse culture and environment that is also in a much better place.”

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