Seattle Mariners: 3 stars of the M’s 5-2 Week 3 (April 12-18)
Star #1: Mitch Haniger
.429 BA, 1.234 OPS, 2 HRs, 8 RBI
At the time of this publication, MLB hasn’t announced the offensive players of the week for each league, but Mitch Haniger has to be a strong candidate for the honor. He finished the week with a .429 batting average, 1.234 OPS, and 8 RBI, all of which led the American League this week. His 5 extra-base hits tied for the league lead with Kansas City’s Salvador Perez.
Haniger is off to a stellar start in his return from the multiple injuries which cost him almost two seasons. Mitch’s 2021 numbers are also fantastic. Over the first 16 games, he has a .339 average, 4 Home Runs, 14 RBI, and 13 runs scored, all among the league leaders.
In fact, with 10 games left to go in April, Haniger is in the race for the American League’s April Player of the Month. He’s competing with JD Martinez of the Red Sox, Whit Merrifield of the Royals, Yermin Mercedes of the ChiSox, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., of the Blue Jays. Haniger gets a chance to go head-to-head with Martinez next week in Beantown.
In Closing
The Mariners are coming off of an impressive week. It’s hard to find reasons to be disappointed with their effort. The pitching staff is more than doing their part to start the season. Meanwhile, Haniger, France, Kyle Seager, and now White and Crawford are contributing offensively.
Sadly, Taylor Trammell’s days in Seattle are numbered. The rookie will likely be out of a major league job when Kyle Lewis and Jake Fraley return. Or when the Mariners call up Jarred Kelenic (which can be any day now).
This week’s schedule is a busy one with two games against the Dodgers (their fourth and fifth starters) before traveling to Boston to face the hottest offense in the league for a four-game series. To succeed, the Mariners need to fire on all cylinders. That’s easier said than done right now with how often Seattle hitters strike out (29.6 percent).
Related Story: Rule 5 pick Will Vest big part of M’s bullpen turnaround
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Joe Swenson is a lifelong Seattle Sports fan and the President, director, producer, and writer for Broken Arts Entertainment. He is also a co-host for the In The Clutch Podcast.