Cooper Hummel Stats: A look at the newly acquired Mariners player's 2022 stats

On Thursday, the Seattle Mariners made another trade, sending oft-injured outfielder Kyle Lewis to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Cooper Hummel. The move provides the Mariners with a versatile player who can play both catcher and in the outfield, while also clearing their overcrowded fielder room.

"Love a good challenge trade, and this one between Seattle and Arizona qualifies. Kyle Lewis, 27, is mega-talented and won ROY in the COVID season. He should get a full-time shot in Arizona. Cooper Hummel, 27, is a late-blooming OBP machine with excellent positional flexibility." - Jeff Passan

The move comes days after the club acquired Teoscar Hernandez from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for relief pitcher Erik Swanson and minor league pitcher Adam Macko. Hernandez's presence made Lewis obsolete for Seattle, though this may only be the beginning of their outfield re-tooling, as the club is rumored to be shopping Jesse Winker this offseason.

Cooper Hummel will provide Seattle with a versatile player who will let the Mariners experiment with different lineups, while also allowing the team to rest players throughout the season.

While Hummel has limited Major League experience for a 27-year-old, having played only 66 games at the MLB level last season, he should become a valuable depth piece, who they can still option to minors in both 2023 and 2024 if necessary.

"The Mariners are in the process of acquiring catcher/outfielder Cooper Hummel from the D-backs in exchange for outfielder Kyle Lewis. Hummel batted .176 with 3 HRs in 176 at bats in 2022… Why?" - Seattle Mariners ON Tap

The player struggled in his 2022 appearances in the MLB, hitting a paltry .176 batting average. He hit 3 home runs with 17 RBIs, while also striking out in 31.8% of those at-bats. However, his redeeming feature at the plate is his ability to draw walks. Despite struggling to produce much at the plate, he walked at a strong 11.4% rate.

His ability to get on base without being much of a power source makes Cooper Hummel an intriguing depth piece for Seattle. In more than 500 career plate appearances at the Triple-A level, Hummel managed to maintain a batting average of .310, while also producing an incredible 16.7% walk rate.

Cooper Hummel's grind to the MLB

Originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 18th round of the 2016 MLB Draft, Hummel finds himself in his third MLB franchise. Before finding his way to Seattle, he was traded to Arizona in a package that sent Eduardo Escobar to the Brewers.

It remains to be seen if Hummel will make the Opening Day roster, as the Mariners already have their franchise catcher, Cal Raleigh. But if he can make the MLB roster, he could provide the Mariners with an additional on-base threat in front of their stars Julio Rodriguez and Teoscar Hernandez.