17 Things to Remember About 2021 Season for Mitch Haniger
10/21/2021 10:32:00 AM | Baseball
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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Mitch Haniger wears No. 17 for the Seattle Mariners.
So it seems fitting that the public relations department of the American League club would come up with 17 bullet points highlighting Haniger's banner 2021 season.
Haniger, the 2012 Big West Conference Field Player of the Year and two-time All-American outfielder at Cal Poly, had by far the most productive year of his career i 2021, leading Seattle to 90 victories.
His performance has put him in the conversation for such honors as American League Comeback Player of the Year, Silver Slugger and Most Valuable Player Award.
Mitch Haniger is presented the Mariners' Heart and Hustle Award
for 2021 by Seattle President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto.
For instance:
1. Haniger was one of the best outfielders in baseball.
Mitch ranked first in runs scored (110), tied for first in home runs (39), second in RBI (100), second in total bases (301) and tied for third in extra-base hits (64) among American League outfielders during the 2021 season.
2. Haniger surpassed his career-high in home runs by 13.
Mitch hit 39 home runs in 2021, most on the Mariners and tied for fifth-most in the American League. He hit 26 home runs during his All-Star season in 2018, easily surpassing that mark in 2021. Haniger's 39 homers were tied with New York's Aaron Judge for most among American League outfielders.
3. Haniger would not be denied a 100-RBI season.
Mitch totaled 16 RBI over his last 10 games, more than any other player in the Majors during that span, to reach the 100-RBI milestone for the season. That included a career-high, six-RBI game on Sept. 27 versus Oakland, as well as a five-RBI game on Oct. 2 against the Los Angeles Angels. Haniger became the 18th Mariners player in franchise history to record a 100-plus RBI season.
4. Haniger joined the likes of Willie Mays and Ted Williams.
After not appearing in a game during the 2020 season, Haniger's 39 home runs in 2021 were the second-most in a season by a player who did not appear in a professional game the year before. Only Hall of Famer Willie Mays' 41 home runs for the 1954 New York Giants rank ahead of Haniger, while Mitch passed Hall of Famer Ted Williams' 38 homers for the 1946 Red Sox (via Stats by STATS).
5. Haniger scored more than any American League outfielder by far.
Mitch led the Mariners with 110 runs scored in 2021, 16 more runs than the next-closest American League outfielder (Randy Arozarena-TB, 94 runs). Haniger became the first Mariners player to score at least 110 runs in a season since Ichiro Suzuki crossed the plate 111 times in 2007.
6. Haniger tied his career-high in games played.
Coming off multiple surgeries in the offseason, appearing in 157 games certainly wasn't a given. Haniger, however, was on the active roster from Opening Night through the end of the season, tying his career-high from 2018 by appearing in 157 of Seattle's 162 games.
7. Haniger led the most clutch offense in the Majors.
FanGraphs rated Seattle's offense as the most clutch of the last 48 seasons. Haniger was one of the centerpieces, batting .316 (30-for-95) with 11 home runs, 46 RBI and a 1.085 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentags) in "high-leverage" situations.
8. Haniger began the season as Seattle's leadoff hitter.
For the first 32 games of the season, Haniger batted leadoff for the Mariners until the arrival of Jarred Kelenic on May 13. Mitch's 24 RBI out of the leadoff spot were the most in the Majors at the time, leading Kansas City's Whit Merrifield (23) and Atlanta's Ronald Acuña Jr. (22).
9. Haniger was the recipient of the 2021 Heart and Hustle Award.
The Heart and Hustle Award honors active players who demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit and traditions of the game. Haniger was named Seattle's team recipient for the 2021 season, an honor he also held during the 2019 season.
10. Haniger was named AL Player of the Week.
He batted .455 (5-for-11) with seven runs scored, a double, two home runs, 6 RBI, two walks and a 1.091 slugging percentage across three games from July 16–18, winning the award on July 19. It was his first weekly award and the Mariners first since Tim Beckham won American League Player of the Week on March 31, 2019.
11. Haniger clubbed his 100th career home run.
On Sept. 28 vs. Oakland, Mitch followed up a two-homer, six-RBI performance from the night before with another homer, his 100th career Major League home run.
12. Haniger homered in both games of a doubleheader.
On April 15 vs. Baltimore, Mitch homered in both games of the twin bill as the Mariners swept the Orioles at Camden Yards. He became the seventh Mariners player to homer in both games of a doubleheader, and the first in franchise history to do it out of the leadoff spot.
13. Haniger was as consistent as they come.
His OPS before and after the 2021 All-Star Break were within one point of each other (.803 and .804, respectively). He hit 20 home runs and drove in 52 RBI in the first half, recording 19 homers and 48 RBI in the second half. He hit safely in 13 of 14 games to open the season, and reached base safely in 13 of 14 to close the season.
14. Haniger was at his best with runners in scoring position.
In 145 plate appearances with runners in scoring position, Mitch batted .288 (36-for-125) with 12 home runs and 65 RBI while slugging .616 with a .947 OPS. His .616 slugging percentage was fourth-best among American League players with at least 100 plate appearances with runners in scoring position.
15. Haniger had the most RBI in the seventh inning and later.
Mitch tallied 45 RBI in the seventh inning and later in 2021, most in the Majors. He ranked ahead of Tampa Bay's Austin Meadows (40) and Toronto's Marcus Semien (40).
16. Haniger tallied four multi-homer games.
Mitch's four multi-homer games led the Mariners in 2021 and were the most for Seattle in a season since Nelson Cruz recorded four multi-homer games in 2018.
17. Haniger hit 10 home runs during the final month of 2021.
Mitch hit 10 home runs from Sept. 1 through the end of the regular season, second-most in the American League to Toronto's Marcus Semien. Haniger became just the fourth Mariners player to hit at least 10 homers in September/October, joining Jay Buhner in 1995 (14 HR), Ken Griffey Jr. in 1997 (12) and Nelson Cruz in 2016 (11).
10. Haniger was named AL Player of the Week.
