Last season, Haggerty was, at times, a spark plug for the Rangers offense, and he hopes to do the same in 2026.
Around this time last year, the Texas Rangers signed Sam Haggerty to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training.
Haggerty didn’t make the team out of camp, but still had his fair share of impact on the 2025 Rangers.
In 64 games, Haggerty hit .253 with an on-base percentage of .328 and a slugging percentage of .370 with a pair of home runs and 13 RBI to go along with it.
However, it was what Haggerty did that didn’t show up in the box score that made an impact on the Rangers.
Haggerty showed immense versatility playing all over the diamond defensively and quickly became the Rangers' best base runner.
Nearly one year after signing a minor league contract with the team, Haggerty’s strong play incentivised the Rangers to sign him to a one-year deal for 2026.
Now, Haggerty will look to fit somewhere into first-year manager Skip Schumaker’s system with Spring Training less than a month away.
Haggerty’s versatility, as well as his veteran status, could certinally give him a leg up when it comes to making the roster.
During his introductory press conference, Schumaker said, “Baseball is won in the margins,” and Haggerty certainly does that.
It seems likely that Haggerty could be the Rangers' best option as far as a utility player goes, with Josh Smith seemingly graduating from that role as he figures to take the majority of second base reps after Texas traded Marcus Semien to the New York Mets.
Other than second base, the Rangers infield seems pretty much set with Jake Burger, Corey Seager, and Josh Jung.
Overall, Haggerty is just one of those players that you want to have on your team, a sentiment legendary former Rangers manager Bruce Boch echoed on multiple occasions last season.
Last season, Haggerty was, at times, a spark plug for the Rangers offense, and he hopes to do the same in 2026.
The Rangers' offense as a whole will need to bounce back to return to the postseason for the first time since they won the World Series in 2023.
Health will be an important factor, as pretty much each of the Rangers regulars spent some time on the IL last season.
Texas will need both health and a new sense of urgency at the plate to see the offensive resurgence they are hoping for this season.
Ultimately, Rangers personnel wouldn’t be surprised if Haggerty is a big part of that.