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Today, March 12, is our dear friend John Trupin’s 23rd birthday. In honor of him, I’m officially designating him as President of the Mitch Haniger Fan Club.
After all, outside the Haniger clan itself, he’s likely the first person with one of these bad boys...
Thank you to @gbronsdon for gracing me with a perfect early birthday gift. Perhaps the first of its kind in Seattle, but I bet not the last. pic.twitter.com/8UeZKVOrC3
— John Trupin (@JohnTrupin) March 11, 2017
So on this special day, let’s celebrate those that we love most: John and Mitch.
John already wrote everything I could possibly say about Mitch in his 40-in-40 on the budding star, but the gist of it is this: If he can keep hitting like he did last year in AAA, and combine that with his plus defense in right field, there’s real potential. Yes, we’ve written sentences like that about failed prospects from Mariners of yore. No, it’s not easy to adjust from AAA to MLB.
But it’s not like we’re out here on an island. Dave Cameron weighed in via his weekly Fangraphs chat:
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And he’s garnered attention locally:
Mitch Haniger impresses, but Mariners’ pitching struggles in an 8-2 loss to the Rangers | @ryandivish recap >> https://t.co/9OQxPLCAAV pic.twitter.com/dxjcl7Th3H
— The Seattle Times (@seattletimes) March 4, 2017
...as well as from his former locale.
The Swing Adjustments of Mitch Haniger: "I can make up my mind whether to swing or not later" https://t.co/uBMnndjhGi pic.twitter.com/uP1eQnkZRn
— Derek Florko (@SaberCoach) March 1, 2017
There are plenty of reasons to get excited about Mitch Haniger. And since it’s March, especially since it’s the Fan Club President’s birthday, there’s no reason not to go overboard with our praise.
Speaking of going overboard, enjoy these old treasures dug up from my Facebook page and family photo albums. Happy birthday, John, and may Mitch Haniger hit 25 bombs this year just for you.
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Oh, and definitely keep the Birthday Crown on.
@1nceagain2zelda sup ❤️ pic.twitter.com/xWHhKYpOGP
— John Trupin (@JohnTrupin) December 25, 2016