On Thanksgiving 2016, I was giving my thanks to Jerry Dipoto who made the big decision of dealing away Taijaun Walker and Ketel Marte for Jean Segura, Mitch Haniger and Zac Curtis. While others were sceptical, after winning the Diamondbacks Minor League Player of the Year in 2016, Dipoto thought Haniger was the ‘diamond’ in the rough that came from trade.
With high hopes coming into the 2017 season, Haniger started on an absolute tear. Through the 25th of April, he was hitting a slash line of .342/.447/.608 and a wRC+ of 186. Then Detroit happened.