The final position player on the 2019 player reviews is the utility man Sam Haggerty. He was part of the small crew the New York Mets called up in September. Haggerty’s story went viral when Syracuse manager Tony Defrancesco gave a compelling speech to Haggerty about him getting to the big leagues for the first time.
This is so awesome. Sam Haggerty learning he’ll be called up to the majors for the first time. Great stuff via @Mets. pic.twitter.com/vvlfpgyfpF
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) September 1, 2019
Haggerty spent the last five seasons working his way up through the minor league ranks for the Indians and Mets. Known as a gritty and hard-working player with a lot of speed, he immediately became a fan favorite. The Mets acquired him in exchange for Kevin Plawecki back in January and it has seemed like a good exchange so far.
Pinch Running Specialist
Haggerty played in 11 games but only received four at-bats, striking out in three of the four. His bat was not the reason the Mets brought him up. In 8 of the 11 games he played, it was solely as a pinch-runner, and the other three were as a pinch hitter.
For Sam Haggerty this is a dream come true. #Mets pic.twitter.com/PVHNXsoF3n
— Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) September 1, 2019
He only scored two runs during his time with the Mets, but he has a good chance to potentially land on the MLB roster out of Spring Training in 2020. The Mets do not have any speed, outside of Amed Rosario. It would benefit the team to have a speedy utility man off the bench. Haggerty has to prove he can hold his own with the bat to be a key contributor off the bench. If he hits any where from .230-.250 at the big league level he can hold a bench role with the Mets.
Grades (Small Sample Size):
Hitting for Average: F
Hitting for Power: F
Fielding: A, No Errors in 5 innings
Speed/Baserunning: B, did not steal any bases but his speed paid off when he was used
Intangibles: A, The team loved watching him get the opportunity to play
Overall: B, if his purpose were to hit this year the grade would be lower, but he did a solid job filling his role