This story was excerpted from Daniel Kramer's Mariners Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ANAHEIM -- The fan club was small but adorable. A child in Arlington over the weekend stood atop the visiting dugout with his parents, donned eyeblack and a teal Mariners jersey with a makeshift taped name and number 0 on his back. But the biggest attribute to the kid¡¯s look was the headband with Seattle¡¯s ¡®S¡¯ logo under his cap.
It was the perfect mini-me to Sam Haggerty, and also a tangible token to the utility man¡¯s growing popularity among Mariners fans.
¡°He was very cute, very fun,¡± Haggerty said. ¡°I¡¯m not too active on social media, but the warmth that fans have given me when I run out at T-Mobile has been great. I have fun with them, and it¡¯s just been a great ride. I¡¯m looking forward to the next couple of months.¡±
Haggerty spoke of contributing in the Mariners¡¯ playoff push with conviction, and for good reason. He was again a key vessel in a critical moment of a late-innings win on Monday, sparking Seattle¡¯s tiebreaking rally in the ninth at Angel Stadium.
And that was after he entered the week hitting .341/.380/.577 (.957 OPS) in 93 plate appearances over 34 games since being recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on June 29.
Before Monday, Haggerty had some huge production in August, including a pinch-hit homer and impressive instincts on the basepaths in a big victory in New York. Haggerty also broke up a no-hitter against those same Yankees less than a week later in Seattle with a tie-breaking homer off Nestor Cortes that put the Mariners in business in one of their biggest wins of the year. He also sneakily set up Julio Rodr¨ªguez¡¯s heroics in an epic comeback against Texas last month.
¡°When he gets in the game, he makes things happen,¡± Mariners manager Scott Servais said.
Haggerty was recalled when outfielder Taylor Trammell was placed on the 10-day IL. Haggerty plays multiple positions, switch-hits and hustles -- all attributes Servais loves. But even Servais didn¡¯t envision Haggerty playing his way into a borderline everyday role. When Trammell was activated on Saturday, the Mariners opted to keep Haggerty and option Trammell to Tacoma.
So, what¡¯s been behind Haggerty¡¯s hitting transformation?
"I didn't ask Sam Haggerty to all of a sudden be Mickey Mantle,¡± Servais said. ¡°It just worked out that way, because he wasn't trying to do too much."
Specifically, the Mariners wanted to see Haggerty have a stronger all-field approach. Though he¡¯s slugging at a high clip, that¡¯s not part of his offensive profile. He embraced the instruction after going to Tacoma in June. He also installed a mechanical adjustment where he moves his feet slightly before first pitch, a practice he began last offseason.
Here¡¯s his spray chart on his 30 hits since being promoted:
¡°I had been working on it and felt like I was making some good headway, and I didn't get a ton of opportunities the first time around up here, which is, again, it's just baseball,¡± Haggerty said. ¡°I was able to come back and got a few more at-bats and was able to prove that I could use the whole field.¡±
It sounds easier said than done though, yeah?
¡°You¡¯re always trying to challenge yourself to practice and be very stringent and strict on yourself to control the barrel and move the baseball around,¡± Haggerty said of his BP routine. ¡°And, like you said, you get into the game and just let it all go.¡±
Before scoring Monday¡¯s go-ahead run, Haggerty started in left field against the Angels and Shohei Ohtani over Jesse Winker, whose defensive struggles have at times been a liability -- such as in Saturday¡¯s loss in Texas. Haggerty profiles better at second base, but he¡¯s also been at or slightly above average in the outfield, depending on the defensive metrics.
Might it be a sign of what¡¯s to come, especially with each game becoming more and more important? Having a player with Haggerty¡¯s ability -- and hustle -- is hugely valuable in the postseason. And if he keeps producing, like he did Monday, the Mariners will keep finding a place for him.