Seattle Mariners: Mitch Haniger fantasy baseball advice

Mariners baseball is just around the corner! Do you know what that also means? Fantasy baseball. So, we are here to answer all of your fantasy baseball questions regarding the big Mariners players. Chris just broke down J.P. Crawford yesterday, and now we are onto Mitch Haniger.

As a Seattle Mariners fan, I always have my eyes out for M’s players on the draft board because it makes it easier to cheer on your fantasy team. Although, if you want to win your league, you should diversify and not take too many players from your favorite team.

Should you draft Mitch Haniger?

Yes, you should draft him. Why? Because he’s good. It’s as simple as that.

The 30-year-old outfielder has been recovering for a long time and will finally be back on the field in 2021. Mitch has proven to be an absolute star when healthy, and he will be hungry to perform this year.

Mitch was an All-Star in 2018 after hitting .285, 28 home runs, and 93 RBIs. Those numbers are fantastic for fantasy baseball.

Obviously, you are taking a gamble with Haniger this year because of his missed time and injury history, but it’s a gamble worth taking. Now the question becomes when should you draft Haniger?

Mariners outfielder, Mitch Haniger is a mid-late round draft pick

I’d imagine that Mitch Haniger would be forgotten by most fantasy baseball participants, just because he’s been out of the picture for so long. But, he won’t go undrafted.

According to FantasyPros and their 2021 baseball rankings, Mitch Haniger is the 70th ranked outfielder. For context, Austin Riley is right before him, and David Peralta is right after him on the list. Not all that impressive right?

Among all fantasy players, Haniger is ranked 237th right after Jordan Montgomery and right before Sean Manaea. So, you might be able to tell that fantasy experts and calculators aren’t expecting Haniger to perform that well which is good for those who want to pick up Mitch.

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If you are a Mariners fan that is closely paying attention to his progress like me, you are probably very excited for him. That being said, I would wait until the mid-late rounds to pick up Haniger because he will most likely drop. If you are playing in a league full of Mariners fans, you might not have the luxury of time on your side.

My advice, if you start seeing middle-tier starting pitchers come off the board (Zach Eflin, Michael Pineda, James Taillon), you should take the leap and draft Haniger.

I would also say that Mitch Haniger would be an awesome third or fourth outfielder on your fantasy roster. You shouldn’t be looking to get him as your first or second outfielder unless you passed on tons of outfielders in the early rounds.

In addition, you need to consider what type of league you are playing in. If you play in a points league, strikeouts often are -1 points for offensive players. In a points league, Mitch Haniger isn’t quite as valuable because he does strikeout quite often.

In 2018, he struck out 148 times which is a pretty good amount for a hitter. But, he does make it up with his solid slugging.

In a categories league, Haniger is more valuable because offensive strikeouts are usually not included. Mitch will give you a decent amount of HRs and RBIs, with a stolen base here and there.

Plus, Mitch Haniger will be a crucial part of the Mariners offense and will often find himself at the top, or in the heart of the order. For fantasy baseball, that is an important detail to look at. Batters at the top of the order tend to have more runs. Players in the heart of the order tend to have the most RBI opportunities.

I hope this helps, and may the best fantasy baseball player win! Stay tuned for more Mariners player breakdowns for fantasy baseball.

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