40-man breakdown: Corey Seager
(Editor’s Note: For the next few weeks, Dodger Insider will analyze a different member of the Dodgers’ 40-man roster every weekday. The series continues alphabetically with Corey Seager.)
Position: SS
Previous Years with Dodgers: Five
Contract: Signed through 2020
Age: 26
2019 Summary: Just getting back on the field in itself was a victory for Corey Seager after missing nearly an entire season following Tommy John and hip surgeries in 2018. But he did more than return. Seager hit a career-high 44 doubles, which tied him with Washington’s Anthony Rendon for the National League lead and the fifth best mark in franchise history. He also knocked in a career-high 87 runs while finishing third on the Dodgers with 133 hits.
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Most importantly, he displayed no ill effects from the two major surgeries of a year prior. While he did miss a few weeks in June for a hamstring strain, Seager played in 134 games while showcasing slightly above average defense at shortstop according to the Defensive Runs Saved metric. And he didn’t wear down. Seager hit 15 of his 44 doubles in August to lead the Majors in the category for the month and earned Player of the Week honors for his work from Sept. 16–22, when he went 10-for-20 with five extra-base hits. He hit seven of his 19 home runs in September.
Best ’19 Moment: When Seager stepped to the plate on Opening Day 2019, it was his first time wearing a Dodger uniform in 11 months. In his first game back after missing nearly a full season because of Tommy John and hip surgeries, Seager put his opponents on notice by hitting the first of his 19 home runs on the year.
Standout Stat: Seager thrived with runners in scoring position, slashing .313/.386/.603 with eight home runs — and he was even better with runners in scoring position and two outs (.322/.375/.661).
Statcast Stat: Seager made teams pay if he got something to hit early in the count. On first pitches, he posted a .352/.374/.625 slash line with five home runs and nine doubles. He did that while swinging at the first pitch a career-low 58.2% of the time, which was also slightly below the MLB average (60.6).
Interesting Fact: Seager became the first Dodger since Jackie Robinson (1947–48) to collect 30 doubles in each of his first two big league seasons. He also established the Dodger record for home runs in a season by a shortstop with 26 in 2016.
Where He Stands: A sense of normalcy returned for Seager during the club’s few weeks of Spring Training. The questions about his health and readiness and rehab that followed him into last year’s Spring Training have since been quelled by his performance. With no restrictions, Seager enters this year ready to again patrol the everyday shortstop spot, hoping to build off his largely healthy and productive 2019 — and he looked poised to do so with a 1.025 Cactus League OPS prior to the shutdown.
Past Breakdowns:
Scott Alexander
Pedro Báez
Austin Barnes
Matt Beaty
Cody Bellinger
Mookie Betts
Walker Buehler
Caleb Ferguson
Dylan Floro
Tony Gonsolin
Victor Gonzalez
Brusdar Graterol
Kiké Hernández
Kenley Jansen
Joe Kelly
Clayton Kershaw
Adam Kolarek
Gavin Lux
Dustin May
Zach McKinstry
Max Muncy
Jimmy Nelson
Joc Pederson
DJ Peters
Luke Raley
Edwin Ríos
Keibert Ruiz
Dennis Santana
Josh Sborz
