Does the Mariner Clubhouse Need Some Swag(gerty)?

We’ve written about the roster construction, poor production from the bench, and many of the internal options available for the Mariners. Utilityman Dylan Moore is finally getting his timing down after missing all Spring Training with lingering soreness from offseason core surgery. Backup catcher Tom Murphy is having a stellar season authoring a .276/.325/.877 slash line amounting to 0.7 WAR through 38 games.

After that, you have struggling veterans Kolten Wong and AJ Pollock with negative WARs and Taylor Trammell holding down the 26th spot on the roster. There are options to replace some of these players through trades, but there is one move I’d make today internally: designating Pollock for assignment and calling up Sam Haggerty. Why call up a 29-year-old utilityman who's spent the majority of the season toiling his wares in the Pacific Coast League?

Over the past 19 games, Haggerty has come through in the clutch for the Rainiers. His slash line is a ridiculous .373/.444/.1.071, which is not sustainable, but it shows how locked he is right now.

Additionally, he has a great track record of mashing lefthanded pitching, which Pollock was supposed to provide this team. 

Not to mention, he gives manager Scott Servais another speed threat off the bench. You have arguably the fastest team in the league by adding Haggerty to Cade Marlowe, Dylan Moore, Jose Caballero, and Julio Rodriguez. Those five players have a combined 85 steals this season between their major and minor league time. For a team that struggles to score runs taking extra bases and being aggressive on the base paths can determine wins and losses down the stretch. 

By calling up Haggerty, you are adding a speed threat to your bench, a guy who can play four positions (2B and all OF), and a little more swag to this team. I’m all for President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto grabbing controllable bats to help round out the roster. Just make one of those Sam Haggerty.