Corey Seager

Corey Seager

Seager with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 5
Shortstop
Born: (1994-04-27) April 27, 1994
Kannapolis, North Carolina
Bats: Left Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 3, 2015, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB statistics
(through 2016 season)
Batting average .312
Home runs 30
Runs batted in 89
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Corey Drew Seager (born April 27, 1994) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Dodgers selected Seager in the first round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft.

Early life

Corey Seager was born in Charlotte, North Carolina to Jeff and Jody Seager.[1] He is the youngest of three brothers. Eldest brother Kyle Seager plays for the Seattle Mariners. Corey's older brother, Justin, was drafted in the twelfth round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft.

Baseball career

Amateur

Seager attended Northwest Cabarrus High School in Kannapolis, North Carolina. He committed to attend the University of South Carolina on a college baseball scholarship. The Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) selected Seager in the first round, with the 18th overall selection, of the 2012 MLB Draft. He received a $2.35 million signing bonus to sign with the Dodgers instead of attending the University of South Carolina.[2]

Minor leagues

Seager began his professional career with the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League, where he had a .309 batting average in 46 games in 2012. They promoted him to the Great Lakes Loons of the Class A Midwest League for 2013. He hit .309 with 12 home runs and 57 runs batted in (RBIs) in 74 games for Great Lakes and was promoted on August 3 to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the Class A-Advanced California League. However, in 27 games at the new level, he hit just .160.[3] Seager played for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League after the 2013 regular season, and was selected to play in the AFL Fall Stars Game, featuring the most promising prospects.[4]

In 2014, Seager hit .352 with 18 home runs and 70 RBIs for the Quakes and was selected to the mid-season California League All-Star team.[5] He played for the USA team at the 2014 All-Star Futures Game.[6] After the Futures Game, he was promoted to the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Class AA Southern League.[7] With the Lookouts, he played in 38 games and hit .345.[3]

Seager was named the MVP of the California League for 2014.[8] He was also selected to Baseball America's minor league All-Star team.[9] On September 26, the Dodgers announced that Seager was the co-winner, along with Joc Pederson, of the organization's "Minor League Player of the Year" award.[10] He returned to the Desert Dogs in the AFL after the season and was awarded with a spot on the AFL Top Prospects List.[11]

Seager batting for the Oklahoma City Dodgers, triple-A affiliates of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in 2015

Seager received a non-roster invite to the Dodgers major league spring training in 2015.[12] MLB.com ranked him the 7th-best prospect in baseball, going into the 2015 season, and Baseball America named him the # 5 prospect in 2015.[13] [14] The Dodgers assigned Seager to the new AA affiliate, the Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League, to start the 2015 season.[15] In 20 games with the Drillers, Seager hit .375 with five homers and 15 RBI.[3] His manager, Razor Shines, said of him, "I'm running out of words to describe this kid. He's phenomenal."[16]

On May 1, 2015, Seager was promoted to the Oklahoma City Dodgers of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL).[17] In a game on May 28 against the Salt Lake Bees, Seager had six hits in six at-bats, including a home run, and six RBI. He was just the second player in the history of the Oklahoma City franchise to record six hits in one game.[18] He was selected to the mid-season PCL All-Star team.[19] In 104 games for Oklahoma City, Seager hit .276 with 13 homers and 59 RBI.[3] Baseball America selected him to their Minor League All-Star team,[20] as well as naming him a AAA All-Star and AAA Player of the Year.[21]

Major leagues

On September 3, 2015, the Dodgers called Seager up to the majors[22] and made his debut that night as the starting shortstop against the San Diego Padres.[23] He had two hits in four at-bats with two RBI in his debut, with his first MLB hit being a double to right field off of Colin Rea of the Padres.[24]

On September 12, 2015, against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Seager was 4-for-4 with his first MLB home run (off Josh Collmenter), a walk and a stolen base, making him the third-youngest player in history to accomplish that feat (after Ken Griffey, Jr. and Orlando Cepeda).[25] On September 21, Seager passed Bill Russell by reaching base safely in his first 16 major league starts, a new L.A. Dodger record.[26] He hit .337 in 27 games with the Dodgers, with four homers and 17 RBI,[27] supplanting Jimmy Rollins as the Dodgers starting shortstop down the stretch.[28] He was the starting shortstop for the Dodgers in the first game of the 2015 National League Division Series, making him the youngest position player to start a postseason game in franchise history.[29]

The Dodgers' Opening Day starting shortstop in 2016, Seager became the youngest for the Dodgers since Gene Mauch in 1944.[30] On June 3, Seager hit three home runs in a game against the Atlanta Braves. He was the first Dodgers shortstop to do so since Kevin Elster in 2000, the youngest shortstop in major league history to accomplish that feat and the sixth youngest overall.[31] Seager was named the National League Rookie of the Month for June[32] and was selected to play to the National League All-Star team.[33] He also participated in the Home Run Derby and hit 15 homers, the second best total for a Dodgers player in the derby history, though he failed to advance past the first round.[34]

On August 6, 2016, Seager hit his 31st double of the season, passing Eric Karros to set a new Dodgers rookie record[35] and two days later, he hit his 20th home run of the season, passing Hanley Ramírez for sole possession of the Los Angeles Dodgers record for home runs in a season by a shortstop.[36] He hit his 22nd homer on August 22, tying Glenn Wright for the franchise record.[37] On August 27, he passed Wright to take sole possession of the record, with a first inning homer off of Jason Hammel of the Chicago Cubs.[38] He and his brother, Kyle Seager, became the first pair of brothers in major league history to each hit 25 or more homers in the same season.[39] With two hits on September 17, Seager moved past Steve Sax (1982) for the most hits in a season by a Los Angeles Dodgers rookie.[40] On September 20, he became the first Dodgers rookie to hit 40 doubles in a season.[41] He finished his rookie season with a .308 batting average, 26 home runs and 72 RBI in 157 games.[42] Baseball America selected him as their 2016 Rookie of the Year[43] as did The Sporting News,[44] and the Players Choice Awards.[45]

Seager homered in the first inning of game one of the 2016 National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals, becoming the youngest Dodgers player in history to hit a post-season home run.[46] He hit .130 with two home runs in the division series and .286 with no homers in the Championship Series.[27]

After the season he was awarded with the Silver Slugger Award, the third Dodgers rookie to win the award.[47] He was also the unanimous winner of the National League Rookie of the Year Award,[48] and the 2016 Esurance MLB/This Year in Baseball Award winner as Best Rookie.[49]

Awards and accomplishments

Awards
Accomplishments

References

  1. Plaschke, Bill (7 July 2016). "For the Dodgers, Corey Seager in the home run derby could be a disaster". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  2. Angert, Alex (June 30, 2012). "Dodgers sign first-round pick Seager to deal". Losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Corey Seager minor league statistics & history". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Mayo, Jonathan (October 28, 2013). "Fall Stars Game to feature assortment of top talent". MLB.com. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  5. Liebhaber, Brandon (June 4, 2014). "Seager, Jacobs make Cal League All-Star Team". milb.com. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Gurnick, Ken (June 24, 2014). "Seager, Urias named to Futures Game roster". MLB.com. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  7. Shaikin, Bill (July 13, 2014). "Dodgers promote top prospect Corey Seager to double-A Chattanooga". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Weisman, Jon (August 22, 2014). "Corey Seager named California League MVP". Dodgers Insider. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
  9. Eddy, Matt (September 3, 2014). "Minor League All-Star Team 2014". Baseball America. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  10. Stephen, Eric (September 26, 2014). "Joc Pederson, Corey Seager, Julio Urias named Dodgers minor league players of the year". truebluela.com. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  11. Stephen, Eric (December 10, 2014). "Corey Seager, Scott Schebler, Darnell Sweeney named to 2014 AFL Top Prospects Team". truebluela.com. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  12. Weisman, Jon (January 9, 2015). "Arruebarrena, Seager, Urias among 17 non-roster Spring Training invitees". dodgers.com. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  13. "2015 Top 100 Prospects". Baseball America. February 20, 2015.
  14. Stephen, Eric (January 30, 2015). "Dodgers have 3 prospects in MLB.com top 13". True Blue LA.
  15. "Drillers Opening Roster Taking Shape". Drillers News. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  16. Smith, Alex M. (April 30, 2015). "Dodgers' Seager reportedly promoted to Triple-A". mlb.com. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  17. Plunkett, Bill (April 30, 2015). "Dodgers promote blue-chip prospect Corey Seager to Triple-A". Orange County Register. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  18. "Seager Dazzles in Salt Lake with Six Hits, Six RBI". milb.com. May 28, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  19. "Four OKC Dodgers Named to Triple-A All-Star Game". milb.com. July 1, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  20. Eddy, Matt (September 9, 2015). "Minor League All-Star Team 2015". Baseball America. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  21. 1 2 "2015 Minor League Classification All-Star Teams". Baseball America. September 11, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  22. Unruh, Jacob (September 3, 2015). "Report: Dodgers to promote top prospect Corey Seager". NewOK. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  23. Stephen, Eric (September 3, 2015). "Corey Seager bats 8th, starts at shortstop in major league debut". SB Nation. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  24. "Padres 10, Dodgers 7 play-by-play". mlb.com. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  25. Gilbert, Steve; Gurnick, Ken (September 13, 2015). "Seager's big night keeps Dodgers' lead intact". mlb.com. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  26. 1 2 Stephen, Eric (September 21, 2015). "Diamondbacks do extra to finally beat Dodgers in LA". SB Nation. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  27. 1 2 "Corey Seager Statistics & History". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  28. Hoornstra, JP (September 29, 2015). "Corey Seager supplants Jimmy Rollins as the Dodgers' top shortstop". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  29. Hoornstra, J.P. (October 9, 2015). "Corey Seager is youngest LA Dodgers position player to start in postseason". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  30. Stephen, Eric (April 4, 2016). "Corey Seager is youngest opening day Dodgers SS in 72 years". SB Nation. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  31. 1 2 Gurnick, Ken (June 4, 2016). "Seager adds 3-HR night to ROY resume". MLB.com. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  32. 1 2 Baer, Jack (July 2, 2016). "Seager named NL's top rookie for June". dodgers.com. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  33. 1 2 Weisman, Jon (July 5, 2016). "Jansen, Kershaw, Seager named to NL All-Star team". Dodgers.com. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  34. 1 2 Walton, Ryan (July 11, 2016). "Corey Seager was great, no match for Mark Trumbo in Home Run Derby". SB Nation. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  35. Baer, Jack; Roberts, Quinn (August 6, 2016). "Stripling steps up, Dodgers shut out Red Sox". MLB.com. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  36. Stephen, Eric (August 8, 2016). "Corey Seager headlines Dodgers power display in win over Phillies". SB Nation. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  37. Sheldon, Mark and Cody Pace (August 22, 2016). "Seventh wonder: Dodgers trounce Reds". mlb.com. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  38. 1 2 Baer, Jack (August 27, 2016). "Seager sets Dodgers shortstop homer record". mlb.com. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  39. 1 2 Stephen, Eric (September 10, 2016). "Corey Seager, Kyle Seager set brother home run record". SB Nation. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  40. Gurnick, Ken and Jake Rill (September 18, 2016). "Pederson powers Dodgers closer to postseason". mlb.com. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  41. Stephen, Eric (September 20, 2016). "Corey Seager is first LA Dodgers rookie with 40 doubles". SB Nation. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  42. "2016 Los Angeles Dodgers Batting, Pitching & Fielding Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  43. 1 2 Glaser, Kyle (October 5, 2016). "Corey Seager proves he can be a star at shortstop". Baseball America. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  44. 1 2 Fagan, Ryan (October 24, 2016). "Dodgers SS Corey Seager wins Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year". The Sporting News. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  45. 1 2 Stephen, Eric (November 9, 2016). "Corey Seager voted best NL rookie by MLB players". Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  46. Stephen, Eric (October 7, 2016). "Corey Seager is youngest Dodger to hit a postseason home run". SB Nation. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  47. 1 2 Osborne, Cary (November 10, 2016). "Corey Seager becomes Dodgers' first Silver Slugger shortstop". Dodgers Insider. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  48. 1 2 Osborne, Cary (November 14, 2016). "It's unanimous: Corey Seager is NL Rookie of the Year". Dodgers.com. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  49. 1 2 Footer, Alyson (November 18, 2016). "Grand finale: MLB Awards put cap on season: Trout is Best Major Leaguer; Indians, Cubs win big". MLB.com. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  50. Stephen, Eric (November 16, 2016). "Corey Seager, Kenta Maeda, Julio Urias named Topps All-Star rookies". SB Nation. Retrieved November 17, 2016.

External links

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