SEAGER HAS MAKINGS OF STAR
There’s a piece of advice from older brother Kyle, an All-Star third baseman with the Seattle Mariners, that resonated with Corey Seager as he made his way through the minors. Don’t be looking ahead to the next promotion, Kyle said, but rather treat every level like it’s the major leagues.
Not only did Corey follow those sage words, but once he reached the Big Show he also continued to perform as if he were playing against minor leaguers.
The Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop batted .337 with a .425 on-base percentage and .561 slugging percentage in 27 games after his early-September call-up, replacing veteran Jimmy Rollins and convincing the club he was ready for the full-time job despite going into the 2016 season as a 21-year-old rookie. The Dodgers haven’t even bothered to sign an experienced backup, though third baseman Justin Turner could fill in in a pinch.
The combination of Seager’s splashy debut, tools and consistently superior minor league production earned him recognition as the top player on our list of Names You Need to Know and the No. 1 prospect in other outlets’ rankings.
At the Dodgers’ FanFest in late January, veteran teammates offered lavish praise for lefty-swinging Seager, who batted .293 with 16 homers and a .831 on-base-plus-slugging percentage combined in Class AA and Class AAA last year. “He’s a kid I could see being a Hall of Famer in the future,” first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said.
Second baseman Chase Utley, Rollins’ longtime teammate with the Philadelphia Phillies, played several games alongside Seager last season and was impressed as well, calling him a “supreme talent who will be in the league a long time.”
Seager’s physical tools certainly stand out, especially the offensive pop and the ability to make all of the defensive plays despite a 6-4 frame that might presage a future position change. But it’s his mental acuity and poise that separate him from other talented youngsters.
The advanced hitting approach Seager demonstrated in the minors carried over into his September audition — he drew 14 walks in 113 plate appearances — and he handled himself like a major leaguer from the moment he arrived. After the Dodgers lost a heated National League Division Series vs. the New York Mets, he answered reporters’ questions like a veteran.
Earlier in the playoffs, Seager said that, even as he climbed two levels last season, many of the subtleties that make such a big difference in the game had clicked for him.
“This game is very mental,’’ Seager said. “Just where to be, where to position myself, the approach at the plate. All that kind of stuff has kind of matured in the last year.” Teammate Adrian Gonzalez says of Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager, above, “He’s a kid I could see being a Hall of Famer in the future.”
Player capsules written by Ted Berg, Scott Boeck, Steve Gardner, Gabe Lacques, Jorge L. Ortiz and Jesse Yomtov.