Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager was named the 2016 National League Rookie of the Year by Sporting News. Monday’s recognition adds to Baseball America also naming the 22-year-old their NL Rookie of the Year.
Seager, who is likely to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award and receive votes for NL MVP, had an outstanding first full season in the Majors. He entered the season rated the top prospect in baseball, and succeed at a clip that even the Dodgers couldn’t have predicted.
Over a career-high 157 games, Seager hit .308/.365/.512 with 40 doubles, 26 home runs, 72 RBIs and 105 runs scored.
Seager spent the majority of this season batting second or third in the Dodgers’ lineup, and set Dodgers rookie records for hits (193), doubles, runs scored and total bases (321).
Over 11 postseason games, he batted .205/.255/.364 with one double, two home runs, four RBIs, two walks and 13 strikeouts. Seager got off to a hot start in the NL Division Series, clubbing a home run in the first inning of Games 1 and 2.
He hit safely in three of six NL Championship Series games, with a pair of multi-hit games. Seager did admit to bit fatigue setting in as the season winded down; the 168 total games played this are a career high.
