Francisco Lindor vs Corey Seager: Who to Choose in 2016?
By Brad Kelly
The young and upcoming SS class has taken MLB by storm, as they are entering the league at no older than 22 and are already showing flashes of being some of the most complete players in the game.
The main SS triumphant of, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager and Francisco Lindor, have already cemented themselves as premier options at a notorious weak position.
I have clumped Lindor and Seager together because I feel as though Correa offers more of a complete package in terms of fantasy production and is ranked above them. This by no means lessens the value that Lindor and Seager bring to the table though as they both offer valuable skill sets that most owners will make an effort to attain.
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In Lindor’s case the sample size is a lot larger than Seager’s, so we have somewhat of an understanding of what Lindor can offer with regular playing time.
When Lindor debuted I was excited to see if he is bat could match his highlight real defense that had been his calling card in the minors. He was not a slouch offensively in the minors, but I wanted to see how he transitioned at the plate before I fully moved him up my SS ranks.
My concerns were at first validated as he struggled during his debut month in June, batting only .223/2 HR/5 RBI/1 SB. It just seemed as though he was overwhelmed at the plate as most minor leaguers suffer through and he also had to battle getting comfortable as a switch hitter at the MLB level as well.
But then, as if a light switch was turned on, Lindor started to turn the corner at the plate and became a force
His luck started to turn around as he was able to get a couple more breaks in the BABIP department. He went from a .256 BABIP in June, to as high as .422 in August. While luck did have some say, it was not the end all be all reason for his turnaround.
He began to hit more line drives and that parlayed itself into his power uptick and his RBI production increasing. His speed should never be a problem and I hope that the Indians give him more of a green light on the base paths as was only thrown out twice in 14 attempts.
Corey Seager’s path to the bigs in 2015 was a little more delayed as he was blocked by a logjam in the Dodgers infield even though he was more than deserving of a promotion. He was only able to notch 113 AB, but we got a taste of what he can provide in 2016.
His, .337/4 HR/17 RBI/2 SB line, proves as a good indicator of what Seager’s skillset is going forward. Between Lindor and Seager, Seager has the clear power advantage even though Lindor does have modest pop for a SS.
I do not think that Seager will post as high of an average as Lindor though, as Lindor has the edge speed wise and should be able to spray the ball around the field which should buoy his average.
The talent between these two is clear, yet they will offer two different types of skillsets for owners in 2016. Lindor has a larger sample size and has proven that he can offer solid average, decent pop, and above average speed numbers.
Seager has showed more pop throughout the minors and should maintain a decent AVG in the .270s-.280s, with a ceiling that easily hovers into the .300s.
I firmly believe that these two should definitely be top five SS selections in 2016. Correa will remain my top SS, while Troy Tulowitzki will still hover in the discussion, but after those two go it is truly a tough call between Lindor and Seager. ( I am currently excluding Manny Machado from the SS discussion)
Picking between Lindor and Seager will probably come down to what your team needs more. If you want a more power laden team, Seager is the guy, if you need speed and AVG then Lindor clearly fits that bill.
If I were to draft tomorrow I would probably rank Lindor slightly over Seager as he brings a little more balance across the board that I try to fill my lineups with. Seager will no doubt be good, so if you can walk away from the draft with either of these guys you are in a good position.