Mullen’s Haggerty shows versatility with Mets

From the local ballfields of Denver to the major leagues, Sam Haggerty’s versatility helped him achieve his dream despite being a sparsely recruited infielder out of Mullen High School.

Making the bigs is a longshot after playing high school baseball in Colorado. But Haggerty beat the odds, as the New York Mets prospect parlayed a standout college career at New Mexico into minorleague success as a switch hitter who saw significant time as a second baseman, shortstop, third baseman and outfielder.

“I’ve worked a lot on playing multiple positions, increasing my versatility for the team, as well as taking a lot of pride in my speed and my baserunning,” Haggerty said. “Now I’m with a team that’s playing playoff baseball, trying to win the wild card, and that’s a blast. It’s a dream come true.”

The 25-year-old, who started switch-hitting in high school, has appeared in six games as a September call-up for New York. He struck out in his only at-bat so far while scoring two runs as a pinch runner in high-leverage situations.

A 24th-round draft pick for Cleveland in 2015, Haggerty debuted Sept. 4 in Washington after being traded to the Mets in the offseason. He started the year in Double-A and overcame a hamstring injury that sidelined him for six weeks.

Haggerty was “definitely shocked at first” about the trade, but it ultimately worked out. He hit .259 with 19 steals in 68 games for Double-A Binghamton this year, then batted .310 with four steals in a dozen games for Triple-A Syracuse before getting called up.

Now, for the next couple of weeks, Haggerty said his ears are open and his eyes wide as he looks to learn from New York’s veterans and start to lay the groundwork for a push at making the team’s 25-man roster at the end of 2020 spring training.

“If they need me in the outfield, if they need me in the infield or if they need me off the bench to do both, I’m ready,” Haggerty said. “I’m a switch hitter who can run, so giving them lots of options is my goal.”