Everyone seems to make their annual year-in-review lists. Not me. Time to look into the ol' crystal ball. Time to predict the future.
As we celebrate a new year in sports, I give you the 20 Seattle sports figures I predict we'll talking about most often in 2020...
20 In '20: #17 Mitch Haniger
Jerry Dipoto needs a bounce back season from Mitch Haniger. And it has nothing to do with winning—not this year anyway. It’s the cold hard reality of a MLB rebuild. Jerry needs Haniger to return to his 6.1 WAR form of 2018, so that the GM can trade him for the pieces a 29-year old all-star with club control can command.
The Mariners now have a farm system comfortably ranked in the top 10, and many of the star pupils are outfielders. Ideally, the future Mariner outfield will consist of Kyle Lewis, Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez. In other words, not Haniger. Sooooo, get him healthy, get him right and get him to a contender in July for pitching.