As expected Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager was named a finalist for the 2016 National League Rookie of the Year Award. He’s joined by teammate Kenta Maeda and Washington Nationals utility man Trea Turner.
It’s the first time the Dodgers have had two NL Rookie of the Year finalists. Seager was previously named NL Rookie of the Year by Baseball America and Sporting News.
He hit .308/.365/.512 with 40 doubles, 26 home runs, 72 RBI and 105 runs scored, while appearing in a career-high 157 games. Seager set Los Angeles rookie records in hits (193), runs scored, doubles and totals bases (321).
Over 11 postseason games, Seager batted .205/.255/.364 with one double, two home runs, four RBIs, two walks and 13 strikeouts. He hit safely in three of six NL Championship Series games, with a pair of multi-hit games.
However, the majority of Seager’s success was limited to the first inning. What’s more, although he gained valuable experience in the 2015 NL Division Series, Seager admitted to feeling fatigued this postseason.
He nonetheless is the odds-on favorite to take home the Rookie of the Year Award when the Baseball Writers Association of America announcers the winner on Monday, Nov. 14, on MLB Network.
Seager, or Maeda, would become the first Dodgers Rookie of the Year since Todd Hollandsworth in 1996.
Maeda signed an eight-year, $25 million contract with the Dodgers that’s laced with incentives. He received a $1 million signing bonus. Despite concerns over Maeda’s elbow and shoulder, he went on to become the Dodgers’ workhorse as others in the rotation faltered.
Maeda led the team in starts (32), innings pitched (175.2) and strikeouts (179). He went 16-11 with a 3.48 ERA and 1.14 WHIP, remaining healthy throughout the entire season.
After gaining some Major League experience last season, Turner joined the Nationals for a pair of games in June, then for good in July. The electric utility man hit .342/.370/.567 with 14 doubles, eight triples, 13 home runs and 40 RBI in 73 games.
Turner went 7-for-22 (.318) with one RBI in five games against the Dodgers in the NL Division Series.
