Prospect Watch: Corey Seager’s Arrival
By Brad Kelly
Well, what else is new? In a year that has seemed as though to be defined by a rookie invasion, arguably the best prospect of them all got the call yesterday. Corey Seager debuted for the Los Angeles Dodgers at SS and he did not fail to impress.
Segaer was the Dodger’s first round pick in 2012, and you could almost immediately see the monster potential that he yielded. Seager’s talent is even more impressive when you take into account that he is still only 21, and has already shown the raw ability to possible be a force at the next level for years to come.
Corey Seager does come from a good baseball family as we know, his brother is Kyle Seager, and it is clear that there was an emphasis at that household to be able to hit and hit often. At every level Seager has stopped through in the minors, he has been through them all, he has undoubtedly produced.
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The “worst” statistical minor league season he has was his second pro year where he had a, .269/16 HR/72 RBI season. That on the surface looks great for a 19-year-old prospect, but he would go on to show why he would deserved the designation of a top-5 prospect in baseball.
In 2014, Seager’s .349/20 HR/97 RBI stat line, really got my attention, as those numbers are often seen out of corner infielders or outfielders, not shortstops. Everything about Seager screams that he will be the next mega SS prospect and it is hard to argue against that notion.
Going into 2015, Corey Segaer’s possible chance at cracking the big leagues was dashed when the Dodgers went ahead and made the move to bring the veteran Jimmy Rollins in. While Rollins has quite the track record, it was disappointing to see Seager’s leap get delayed as it would have made the Dodgers better.
I am surprised though, as the season played out and prospect after prospect were called up, that Seager did not get a promotion earlier due to Rollins’ struggles. If he would have received the call sooner, I would be emphatically telling owners to make him a must add.
As we sit here in the beginning of September, it is hard to gauge Seager’s value is in terms of fantasy. The Dodgers have a decent lead in the NL West, and I would argue that inserting Seager in their everyday lineup makes them even better, but the playing time picture is muddied some.
With Chase Utley holding second base down for now, it takes him out of the picture when it comes to playing time on the left side of the diamond. Clearly Adrian Gonzalez is staying at first, which leaves Jimmy Rollins at SS and Justin Turner at 3B.
Corey Seager got the start yesterday at SS, giving Rollins the day off. Then there is also the fact that Justin Turner has been battling nagging injuries and the Dodgers would probably like to give him time off as well. Seager has played 3B in the minors some, and he should be fine there at the big level.
The quandary is, will the Dodgers get Seager enough AB’s to make him a waiver wire add? While in theory resting these veterans makes sense, they are also going to want to make sure they stay in the groove of things as the Dodgers have their eyes set on a October run.
I think Seager has too much ability and is too dynamic to start less than 5 games a week, so I am interested in seeing how the Dodgers continue to play him through this weekend. If they start him in two out those three games, I would recommend owners to gamble on him and pluck him off the waiver wire.
With his MI eligibility, Corey Seager’s extra base hit production is an added bonus and as we saw yesterday during his debut, his stick is pro ready. Seager’s name recognition alone will cause him to fly off the waiver wire, fantasy owners can take the gamble now, but they should pay close attention to how the Dodgers use Seager, because it will ultimately dictate his value for this season.