Seattle Mariners: What’s the deal with Mitch Haniger?
Chris Phillips
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After missing more than a full season due to injury, Mitch Haniger still has a place on the Seattle Mariners.
For some time now, Seatle Mariners fans have missed seeing Mitch Haniger in the lineup. They remember Mitch Haniger, the 2018 All-Star. The player who was the prized jewel in the Taijuan Walker trade. Yes, Jean Segura and Zac Curtis also came back to Seattle, and the M’s also sent over Ketel Marte. But Haniger was one of the top prospects in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He was the piece that turned this deal into a major win for the M’s.
One of the reasons Haniger caught Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto’s attention was his .289 overall batting average in the minors. That first year in Seattle, 2017, was good for Haniger. His first extensive taste in the majors resulted in a .282 batting average and .843 OPS, proving that he was an everyday big-league player. His success validated Dipoto’s eye for talent and the GM’s plan to bring a winner back to the Emerald City.
For an encore, Haniger upped his average to .285 in 2018. His slash line was 366/.493/.859 with 26 home runs and 96 RBI in 157 games. It earned him an All-Star appearance. The San Jose native’s star was on the rise.
Haniger was Kyle Lewis before Lewis. That is in terms of being a piece or the centerpiece to build this team around. A player who fans loved, came to watch at the ballpark; and brought national attention to the Pacific Northwest’s baseball team.
Summer of his discontent
Then 2019 happened to Haniger, where he played only 63 games. His average and BABIP resembled his 2016 “cup of coffee” year in Arizona.
2016- Avg .228, BABIP .256
2019- Avg .220 & BABIP .257
For those that don’t know what happened to Haniger in 2019, he ruptured his testicle on June 6. The injury happened when Haniger foul tipped a Justin Verlander slider in the third inning. Haniger managed to get the bottom part of his bat on it and redirect the pitch “south of the border” (if he didn’t tip the ball, it probably would have hit him right in the stomach). Haniger stayed in the game until the seventh inning but was placed on the injured list the following day.
As a result, this injury cost him the rest of the 2019 season. Further complications led Haniger to sit out in 2020 as well. Setbacks and more surgeries derailed his planned comeback. After missing so much time, where does this leave Haniger in the M’s future plans?
Lewis is a star. His production at the plate and his Griffey-like defensive ability make him the starting center fielder and face of Seattle’s rebuild.