Mitch Haniger is not to blame for this struggling Seattle Mariners offense, which has scored only more runs than the San Francisco Giants since July 1.
But Haniger keeps hitting, which really took off when the Mariners moved him to the leadoff role.
Call this the Mariners hopping on an almost MLB-wide trend. More managers have swapped speedsters out of that leadoff role in exchange for sluggers, and the Mariners moving Haniger to leadoff and sliding Dee Gordon down the order is a prime example.
Since moving to leadoff, Haniger is batting .318 (42-for-132) with 23 runs scored, 14 doubles, two triples, six home runs and a .