Second baseman leads Balers in batting
He’s a left-handed hitter with a batting average that’s hovering
near the .500 mark and an on-base percentage that’s over .700
– and his last name isn’t Bonds.
But San Benito High School’s Brian Haggett is putting up numbers
this season that would make the Giants slugger envious.
Second baseman leads Balers in batting
He’s a left-handed hitter with a batting average that’s hovering near the .500 mark and an on-base percentage that’s over .700 – and his last name isn’t Bonds.
But San Benito High School’s Brian Haggett is putting up numbers this season that would make the Giants slugger envious.
“I’m seeing it (the ball) well, and I’m able to just turn on stuff,” said the standout junior second baseman. “I’m also getting a lot of batting practice and a lot of swings in.”
So far this season Haggett’s bat, solid pitching and sound defense have propelled the Tri County Athletic League’s defending champions to a 9-2 record.
San Benito’s only losses this season have come against Valley Christian. Still, Head Coach Michael Luna believes his squad has “a ways to go” before they are ready for their grueling, league-play schedule which gets under way on Wednesday at Palma High School.
But he knows that with players like Haggett on his side, 2007 should shape up to be a memorable year.
On Tuesday in a 2-1 win over Wilcox High School Haggett went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks. He currently has 13 walks, which also leads the team.
“He’s very patient and when he gets his pitch he doesn’t miss,” Luna said. “He seems to be on balance on every single pitch, whether it’s a fastball or an off-speed pitch. He’s got no fear and he’s very confident in the batter’s box.”
A year ago the junior standout made the league’s Second Team All-League squad for his solid play both at first base and for his abilities at the plate. This year, Haggett is excelling in the No. 3 hitting slot in the lineup and has shown a prowess to handle the demanding second base position.
“He asked me if he could play second base during the off-season and I said that I’d give him a look,” Luna said. “Over the summer and during fall ball he kept getting better there. And with him at second it allowed us to move Bryan Scott up from the JV team to play first base for us.”
“I like playing second because you get a lot of action,” Haggett said.
So far, Luna is most impressed with Haggett’s deceptive quickness.
“He covers much more ground out there than people think,” said Luna of Haggett, who is 6-foot-1, 185 pounds. “He’s not as nimble as I would like a second baseman to be, but he’s such a good athlete and he has so much agility that he still covers a lot of ground.”
Haggett has also proved that he can lay down the leather in the field, as he only has one throwing error the whole season and not a single fielding error.
About the only thing Luna would like to see Haggett improve on is his throwing mechanics. Offensively, he wouldn’t change a thing.
“He’s a left-handed hitter with a lot of bat speed and some power,” Luna said. “He’s got one homerun and three doubles but I’m waiting for him to start driving some balls.”
Although his slugging percentage isn’t as high as Luna would expect from a player with so much talent, much of the problem isn’t Haggett’s.
“They are pitching around him now. If we could get some hitting out of one or two guys that are behind him, then they’d be forced to pitch to him and his numbers would go up,” Luna said.
“I’m getting one or two walks a game now,” Haggett said. “It’s frustrating and hard to be patient up there.”
Haggett’s high school career won’t end until next year. After that, he has “definite” plans to play in college, but for now it’s all about focusing on this season and helping his team win a Central Coast Section title.
“We have a lot of young pitchers, who are doing good and keeping us in there,” he said. “Once our offense picks up, we’ll be pretty good.”
Along with the Balers, Salinas High School is expected to be a favorite in the race for a league title.
“On paper, Salinas is very good and talented,” Luna said. “We just need to start hitting better.”
Obviously, he wasn’t speaking about Haggett.
John Bagley can be reached at jb*****@pi**********.com.
