MLB Network’s The Shredder ranked Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager among the top players at his position entering the 2018 season. He placed second on the list, trailing Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros.
Likewise, MLB Network host Brian Kenny also ranked Seager as the second-best shortstop in baseball, while analyst Harold Reynolds placed him fourth on his respective list. “Seager is a prime player, Reynolds said.
“He’s an MVP candidate for me and he will continue to be at the top of that list. And I love the fact that so many people thought that he would be moved from short to third because of his size. He’s shown that he can hang with the big boys at short.
“I think he’ll continue to stay there and he’ll continue to be productive. But I love the fact that this young man is going to continue to develop and grow.”
Earlier this offseason, Seager was rated the third-best shortstop by ESPN’s Buster Olney, placing behind Correa and the Cleveland Indians’ Francisco Lindor.
In 145 games last season, Seager hit .295/.375/.479 with 33 doubles, 25 home runs and 77 RBI over 613 plate appearances. He improved his walk rate to 10.9 percent — up three percent from the previous season — and posted a 127 wRC+ for his efforts at the plate.
Seager enjoyed similar success with his glove as well, ranking at the top of the leaderboard among qualified shortstops with a 9.5 UZR/150 and 10 defensive runs saved. He was a finalist for National League Gold Glove honors, but ultimately lost out to the San Francisco Giants’ Brandon Crawford.
Since becoming an everyday player in 2016, Seager ranks first among qualifiers at his position in FanGraphs’ WAR (13.1), and checks in second with 48 home runs and a .497 slugging percentage during the span — trailing only the Colorado Rockies’ Trevor Story in both categories (51 home runs, .504 slugging).
Seager racked up further accolades for his play, earning a second consecutive Silver Slugger Award for his offensive production at shortstop. What’s more, he was selected to his second NL All-Star team and tallied some MVP votes to boot — ultimately finishing 17th.
The 23-year-old capped off his excellent season with a World Series appearance, where he slugged a home run in Game 2 to become the second-youngest player in Dodgers history to clear the fence in a Fall Classic game (Peter Reiser, 1941).
| Rank | The Shredder | Brian Kenny | Harold Reynolds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Correa (Astros) | Carlos Correa (Astros) | Francisco Lindor (Indians) |
| 2 | Corey Seager (Dodgers) | Corey Seager (Dodgers) | Carlos Correa (Astros) |
| 3 | Francisco Lindor (Indians) | Francisco Lindor (Indians) | Didi Gregorius (Yankees) |
| 4 | Trea Turner (Nationals) | Trea Turner (Nationals) | Corey Seager (Dodgers) |
| 5 | Andrelton Simmons (Angels) | Andrelton Simmons (Angels) | Elvis Andrus (Rangers) |
| 6 | Jean Segura (Mariners) | Xander Bogaerts (Red Sox) | Trea Turner (Nationals) |
| 7 | Paul DeJong (Cardinals) | Elvis Andrus (Rangers) | Andrelton Simmons (Angels) |
| 8 | Elvis Andrus (Rangers) | Brandon Crawford (Giants) | Brandon Crawford (Giants) |
| 9 | Trevor Story (Rockies) | Jean Segura (Mariners) | Xander Bogaerts (Red Sox) |
| 10 | Tim Beckham (Orioles) | Didi Gregorius (Yankees) | Paul DeJong (Cardinals) |
