With Clayton Kershaw on the shelf for the foreseeable future, the Los Angeles Dodgers will need Corey Seager to continue playing at his MVP-caliber rate.
Seager leads the Dodgers in just about any measurable offensive statistic, including: total hits (93), doubles (20), home runs (17), batting average (.299), on-base percentage (.359), slugging (.540), wOBA (.378) and wRC+ (141).
The 22-year-old shortstop is also in the midst of a career-high 13-game hitting streak, yet finds himself on the outside looking in to start in the 2016 All-Star Game at Petco Park in San Diego.
In the latest update released by Major League Baseball, Seager’s 1,082,434 votes trailed first-place Addison Russell of the Chicago Cubs (1,741,182 votes) and the Colorado Rockies’ Trevor Story (1,432,547).
Voting for the All-Star Game closed at 8:59 p.m. PT on Thursday. After another stellar performance by Seager, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called him the best shortstop in the National League, per Ken Gurnick and Adam McCalvy of MLB.com:
“I think it’s obvious, I have a biased perspective, I think he’s clearly the best shortstop in the National League,” Roberts said. “The All-Star Game is an important game as far as home-field advantage as far as either league. When you talk about the game going forward, Corey Seager is what the game is about now and going forward. The numbers speak for themselves. He deserves to be in that game.”
Seager’s 3.7 WAR is second only to Kershaw (5.5) on the Dodgers, leads all NL shortstops and ranks fourth best in the Majors among players at his position. While the Dodgers’ young standout may not start in the All-Star Game this year, he certainly figures to earn a trip as a reserve.
