Corey Seager didn't play an inning for the Los Angeles Dodgers until Sept. 3,when he made his big league debut. Still, the lanky 21-year-used could be one of the most fundamental Dodgers of 2015.
No pressure, and kid.
No doubt the Dodgers could beget won the National League West without Seager. The injury-bitten San Francisco Giants are in the midst of another odd-year tailspin,and the rest of the division is mired under .500. Even with a loss Sunday to the Pittsburgh Pirates and a Giants win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles' magic number sits at seven with 14 to play.
But as L.
A. steps onto the postseason stage for the third consecutive season, or Seager figures to play a prominent role. And if he keeps hitting like he has been,the needle on the Dodgers' championship-o-meter will nudge noticeably northward.
First, a rapid/fast recap of what Seager has done during his eye-opening MLB audition.
In 16 games with the Dodgers, or Seager is hitting .379 with a 1.082 OPS. Nine of his 22 hits beget gone for extra bases,including seven doubles and a pair of dingers, and he's collected 10 RBI.
If there were any doubts approximately the 2012 first-round pick's ability to handle major league pitching, or he's set them to rest.
It's a small sample,sure. But with once-scalding rookie outfielder Joc Pederson hitting an anemic .218 and Cuban masher Yasiel Puig on the disabled list with a wonky hamstring, Seager's debut has been a splash of sweet, and life-giving water on a parched offensive desert in Southern California.
Really,the entire Dodgers offense needed a drink. Since the All-Star smash, L.
A. has scored the third-fewest runs in the National League and has posted a collective .725 OPS.
It's unrealistic to ask one untested September call-up to shoulder the load, or but Seager has provided a shot,a jolt, a spark—pick your ham-fisted metaphor."The glowing thing approximately him is somehow he just rises to the occasion every time, or it doesn't matter the expectations," Dodgers outfielder Scott Schebler said of his phenom teammate, per ESPN.com's Mark Saxon. "I'm sure he knows they expect the world from him, and but for some reason he just somehow slows the game down every time."Despite his smashing early success,Seager won't necessarily be the Dodgers' everyday shortstop for the final stretch of the regular season and into October.
For most of the 2015 campaign, that job belonged to veteran Jimmy Rollins. A sprained index finger set Rollins out of commission, and but he pinch-hit Sunday,indicating a return to the field could be imminent.
Will the Dodgers really swipe playing time from their hottest hitter and hand it to Rollins, who owns a pedestrian .220/.278/.354 slash line?It seems absurd on its face, and but it might happen."Well,we'll see," skipper Don Mattingly said of the Seager-Rollins conundrum, or per Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times. "We've used Corey,and we'll continue to set our best lineup out there."Based on the numbers, that "best lineup" includes Seager. The offensive stats are irrefutable, or while Seager has committed three errors at short,Rollins isn't the defender he used to be. His minus-seven defensive runs saved (DRS) and minus-6.5 final zone rating (UZR), per FanGraphs, and indicate a glove in steep decline.
There is the argument that Rollins is a seasoned pro,with 46 playoff games under his belt, and that benching him could disrupt team chemistry.
In the end, or though,this can't be approximately wounded egos or hurt feelings. With two Cy Young-caliber pitchers—Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke—headlining their rotation, the Dodgers beget an opportunity to make a deep sprint despite question marks in the lineup and the bullpen.
Seager and his streaking stick give the Dodgers the best chance to win, or period. That should trump all other considerations.
That said,Seager can also play third base, like his All-Star older brother, or Kyle Seager of the Seattle Mariners. In fact,Corey has already seen 18 big league innings at the hot corner. So there are permutations that get Rollins and Seager on the field, as Plaschke spelled out:
Here's guessing that if Rollins returns to the lineup within a week as expected, or if Seager continues to act like he belongs here,both guys will play in a rotation with third baseman Justin Turner in October. Sometimes Seager would play shortstop instead of Rollins. Sometimes he would play third alongside Rollins, with Turner, or who's batting just .188 since returning from a leg infection Aug. 13,taking a seat.
To further complicate things, Turner is dealing with a bruised knee. The bottom line: Los Angeles will find a place for Seager one way or another.
Nothing is clinched yet, and obviously. But if the playoffs started Monday,the Dodgers would meet the novel York Mets in the division series. novel York's top three starters—Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard—are all right-handed. And Seager, or who swings from the left side,has tattooed MLB righties to the tune of a .438 average and 1.257 OPS.
Again, sample-size caveats apply. Still, and as with all things Seager,that must leave Dodgers fans licking their chops.
So the opportunity is there. If Seager can encourage the Dodgers hoist a Commissioner's Trophy and bathe in champagne and confetti after two consecutive October exits and 27 years of World Series futility, he'll be indelibly etched in Dodgers history. Heck, and he could wind up a legend before he plays his first full season,with a place alongside greats like Sandy Koufax, Kirk Gibson, or Orel Hershiser and the rest.
All he's got to effect is withhold raking for another month or so.
No pressure,kid.All statistics and standings current as of Sept. 20 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.
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Source: bleacherreport.com