Seattle, WA
Seattle Mariners Insider: Adjustments pay off for surging Haniger
Don’t look now, but for the last two weeks Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger has looked like the Mitch Haniger who has stepped to the plate in big situations so many times in his Mariners career and had the look of a guy who could do damage. Not the player who had been mired in a near season-long struggle at the plate.
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There had been hints lately that perhaps it was coming together, but after homering off lefties who had strangely been his Kryptonite this year two days in a row, it appears safe to dare to believe. Haniger for his part certainly does and told his skipper as much recently.
“He said it about 10 days ago, I’m about to get hot,” said Scott Servais following the Mariners’ 6-5 series clinching win over the Phillies on Saturday. “You can just see he’s seeing the ball better. His timing’s good. The quality at-bats, he’s hitting the ball harder and not always getting the ball to fall in, but he has here recently. And when he gets hot, he can hit any pitch, he can hit who’s ever on the mound, right or left, and we’re seeing that right now.”
Over the past two weeks Haniger, who posted a .570 OPS in May and .601 in June, has run an OPS of 1.005 with a wRC+ of 186. In his walk-off interview on the field following the win Saturday, Haniger pointed to changes he recently made as leading to what he is doing at the plate currently.
“Just working on my posture and I feel really good,” he said. “I’ve been feeling good for a while, just haven’t been getting my results.”
Haniger said changes he made coming into spring training that he initially had success with this year had ultimately failed him, and it took him awhile to throw them to the side and go back to what he had done previously.
“The frustrating part is the work is always good,” he explained in his postgame media session. “The BP felt good. Just the results in the game were not there. The missing pitches, just constantly kind of feeling like I’m always ready to break through and not happening. And then just always watching film and comparing the present to the past and seeing where I’m at and what I need to adjust, and kind of a light bulb went off and it’s like I wish it didn’t take me 2 1/2 months or three months to figure it out, but I’m glad I did.”
In his on-field interview, Haniger credited work put in with the training staff and hitting coaches in getting him to the point where things are clicking again. He also pointed to a new teammate as having a part in the process as well.
“For me, talking with (Justin) Turner, he’s a big help for me as a guy whose swing I studied for a while,” he said. “So he’s a he’s a guy I’ve been leaning on and asking a lot of questions, and it’s really good to have in our clubhouse.”
While a hitting coach can make suggestions and encourage changes, teammates who have been there, done that and are currently doing that, bring reassurance. They often can be their own best resources, something former Mariner Mike Cameron understands and shared on social media in response to what Haniger said on the field.
“When you bring in a veteran that’s had success and a winning pedigree the one thing he’s always going to do is be a set of eyes and bring validation to even veterans! I like it,” Cameron wrote.
When you bring in a veteran that’s had success and a winning pedigree the one thing he’s always is going to do is …be a set of eyes and bring validation to even veterans! I like it💪🏿✊🏿
— MIKE CAMERON (@_mcameron44) August 4, 2024
Servais has stuck with Haniger through the struggles. His patience is now being rewarded with more than just good signs.
“You can’t get always caught up in the in the batting average,” Servais said. “There’s the luck factor. … Mitch has hit a lot of balls hard against left-handed pitching and has got nothing to show for it. When you pull back the hood and you look at all the internal metrics on that, the at-bats have been better against lefties, but the batting average, the OPS, it is what it is. He knows that and he made a few adjustments. He’s been right on the lefties of late. The swings have been on time. He’s getting ahead of the bat out, he’s driving the ball. He’s starting to feel it, and we need it.”
If Haniger is feeling it, those around him will as well. He is that kind of player. He’s got confidence in the path both he and the team are on.
“Things are just clicking. That’s how baseball works,” he said. “You just got to keep putting in the work in. Things will turn. We got a lot of really good players in our clubhouse. The first half hitting performance-wise wasn’t there, but it just means we’re going to be hot the second half and we’ll ride into the playoffs.”
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Seattle, WA
Outreach groups respond to the reported relocation cycle of Ballard’s homeless population
SEATTLE — As people voice concerns about an encampment in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, outreach groups are detailing their efforts and fighting back against encampment removals.
The outreach group We Heart Seattle said it checks on the people in an encampment of at least 20 people weekly to offer water, snacks, personal hygiene items, and access to treatment.
RELATED | Ballard encampment grows after city removes nearby site along Burke-Gilman Trail
The group told KOMO it believes more can be done at the city level, from policy to housing, to get the homeless connected with shelter and services.
A woman working at the Fred Meyer off NW 45th Street and 9th Avenue captured video of a fire near tents at an encampment across the street. A day later, off camera, she told KOMO News she worries about the safety of the people living in the tents and Ballard neighbors, in addition to concerns about alleged open-air drug use at the encampment.
“We became homeless because of certain situations, and we turned to drugs, and unfortunately, addiction comes next, you know?” Crystal Rawlings told KOMO News. She has set up her tent on multiple streets in Ballard, and said she’s approaching one year of being opioid-free.
She believes there’s been more city outreach since the start of the new mayoral administration to connect people living on the streets with services, but knows there’s not enough transitional housing for everyone who needs or wants it.
She and the Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger urge the city to stop encampment removals that push this group to another block.
RELATED | City removes Ballard encampment as neighboring businesses raise housing concerns
“We’re not abominations. We’re not obstructions, and we’re not trash, so stop sweeping us,” Rawlings stated.
The city is still aiming to reach Mayor Katie Wilson’s goal of adding 1,000 new units of shelter in 2026 and recently opened a tiny home village in nearby Interbay, but fell short of the goal of 500 new units by June.
Andrea Suarez with We Heart Seattle estimates at least 20 people living on the street keep getting moved around Ballard, from behind the Albert Lee store to Leary Avenue to NW 45th Street behind the Fred Meyer.
“This encampment has people that’ve been homeless for more than five years. We know their names and faces. They’re still here. They’re still stuck in late-phase addiction, frankly because it’s permitted,” Suarez explained.
RELATED | Viral makeshift homeless shelter with chimney dismantled by Seattle city crews
She believes a camping ban on city sidewalks would help encourage more people to accept shelter, and help stop the cycle of moving people without
“It is an underserved community. I think it is unfair,” Suarez added. “We’ve tried to balance between enablement and really giving people a hand up, but without the teeth and backup for the work of outreach workers, it starts to feel futile, and that’s why we get burned out.”
The mayor’s office was working to send data about its homeless response in Ballard as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger estimates there have been nine Ballard-area encampment removals so far this year.
SEATTLE – Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington. Eastern and central Washington will reach near 100F with high fire danger. The coast and north interior will be cooler, only in the 60s to 70s.
Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Weather Watch
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds. Lightning strikes could create new fire starts and, with very dry conditions in place, any new fire could spread quickly.
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds.
What’s next:
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. The heaviest showers will be in the morning hours and will turn more scattered into the evening hours.
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and chance of thunderstorms.
Looking Ahead:
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine. We will start to see highs reach the upper 80s to low 90s by early next week.
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine.
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After so many disappointing seasons with the interior offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks made a commitment last offseason to improve the unit. They started one big step at a time by drafting North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the first round, 18th overall pick, of the 2025 NFL Draft. This one was one of the last steps for the Seahawks to create one of the most productive offenses in the NFL.
Zabel wasn’t perfect in his rookie season, but he was good enough to validate the decision to draft him in the first round, and he showed improvement. Zabel is already a favorite among some Seahawks fans and some media outlets as they love his determination and spirit. It was a big jump from the FCS collegiate level to the NFL and this season, he has a chance to show why he might be a top-half-of-the-league guard.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Higher?
The Seahawks wanted a determined workhorse when looking for a guard. That’s exactly what they got in Zabel. Last season, he appeared in 1,051 snaps, which is only 10 fewer snaps than right tackle Abraham Lucas, who had the most offensive snaps. Zabel got better as the season progressed. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 81.5 and a run-block grade of 81.2 in Week 14 through the NFC Championship Game.
There were times last season when he looked like a monster against several defenders. He was pushing some defenders completely out of the way on pulling plays and even ran to defenders after the pass-catcher caught the ball. This is the mentality the Seahawks expect him to have going into his second season in the league. He has more experience and the complete trust of the team to be a franchise player on par with Lucas and left tackle Charles Cross. If he continues to improve, he will be another steal for the Seahawks.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Lower?
There were times last season when he didn’t quite catch up to the learning curve of the NFL. Zabel allowed two sacks, four hits and 24 pressures in 2025. The Seahawks expect those numbers to decrease significantly as he is experienced and capable of playing at an efficient level. While Zabel is impressive, he might not be the best player the Seahawks have selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. That honor belongs to slot cornerback Nick Emmanwori, who is stepping up to be the steal of the draft.
Zabel is easily one of the best second-year players and is one of the top offensive linemen, but there are players behind him because they haven’t proven to be consistently explosive for the Seahawks. There is going to be even more pressure on him this upcoming season. The Seahawks hired a more run-friendly coach in Brian Fleury as offensive coordinator. His ranking at the end of the season might be much better if he improves, or worse if he fails to reach expectations.
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