Notes: Versatile Haggerty; Seager's breakout

Mariners manager Scott Servais was curious about the origins of outfielder Sam Haggerty's power.

Haggerty isn’t Seattle’s team leader in home runs, but both of his long balls have been awe-inspiring shots. In Baltimore, Haggerty sent one out of Camden Yards and onto Eutaw Street, evoking memories of Ken Griffey Jr. Haggerty went deep at another American League East cathedral, clearing Fenway Park’s Green Monster in Saturday's 8-2 win.

After Haggerty’s solo home run on Saturday against the Red Sox, Servais conducted a quick examination of his outfielder’s pure strength.

“He’s standing on deck after that home run for his next at-bat and I grabbed his biceps. Of course, he tensed up right away to show me how big he was,” Servais said with a laugh. “He's playing really well right now and it’s fun to watch.”

Haggerty, who started his third consecutive game on Sunday, is showing early signs of being the Mariners’ swiss-army knife, capable of providing value wherever needed.

Much of Haggerty’s recent production has been at the plate. In his previous eight games, Haggerty went 8-for-18 with five RBIs and the aforementioned pair of home runs. That early power has been encouraging given that he never hit more than four homers in a season during his time in the Minors.

While the power has been surprising, speed has long been Haggerty’s calling card. He ranks in the 97th percentile of Sprint Speed, per Baseball Savant. He’s shown off his baserunning instincts early, swiping three bases without being caught entering Sunday's series finale.

To top it off, there’s his defensive versatility. Haggerty has played every outfield position for the Mariners this season, getting the bulk of his time in left field. The outfielder can also hold his own in the infield if need be, having played a couple innings at second base this season and third base last season.

“We’re riding the Swaggy train right now,” Servais said. “Sam brings a lot to our team. He can do a lot of different things on the field with the switch-hitting, the speed, the defensive versatility. Really valuable to have that guy. To be able to plug him in in the middle of a game, or you can give him a few starts.

“There’s a little edge to him when he plays. He’s the little guy that’s going to prove everybody wrong, and we all root for that guy, right? I know I do.”

Cycle, not quite

Kyle Seager was a home run shy of the cycle on Saturday, but with a little cherry picking, the third baseman technically did manage to hit for the cycle in four consecutive plate appearances.

In his final at-bat of Friday’s loss to the Red Sox, Seager homered off reliever Matt Barnes. Then, in the first three at-bats on Saturday, Seager had a single, triple and a double.

Seager’s miniature offensive outburst has been a welcome sight after a rough skid. Prior to Friday, he had a five-game stretch in which he went hitless in 20 at-bats, and only reached base via a hit by pitch. Seager is making up for that cold stretch against Boston, totaling five hits (four extra-base hits) in 10 at-bats over the previous two games in this four-game set.

“Everybody knows what he had going and the type of day he had rolling,” Servais said. “Everybody’s on the edge of their seat hoping they get a chance to see something that’s really hard to do in this game, to have that kind of performance in one day. He certainly gave it his all. He didn’t get a lot to hit. They knew it as well.”