With his RBI single in the fifth inning Wednesday night, Corey Seager became the sixth player in National League history since 1920 with at least 200 hits, 100 runs scored, 100 RBI, 50 doubles and 30 home runs within the first 200 career games.
Johnny Frederick accomplished as much with Brooklyn, tallying 287 hits, 179 runs scored, 109 RBI, 69 doubles and 31 home runs.
Entering the Los Angeles Dodgers’ contest against the Colorado Rockies, which was his 200th game, Seager had 242 hits, 130 runs scored, 99 RBI, 53 doubles and 32 home runs. He began his career in September 2015, batting .337/.425/.561 with eight doubles, four home runs and 17 RBI over 27 regular-season games.
That October, Seager became the youngest position player to start a playoff game in franchise history. The postseason served as a learning experience for the young shortstop, and he faced lofty expectations heading into 2016.
Considered the top prospect in baseball, Seager put together a stellar season. While batting second in the lineup and carrying the Dodgers offense for the majority of the season, he hit .308/.365/.512 with 40 doubles, five triples, 26 home runs and 72 RBI.
Seager led qualified NL shortstops in doubles, home runs, batting average, slugging, wOBA (.372), wRC+ (137), was second in OBP and third in RBI. He broke the Los Angeles franchise record for most hits in a single season by a rookie, which previously held by Steve Sax (180 hits in 1982).
Seager was the unanimous selection for 2016 NL Rookie of the Year, and finished third in NL MVP voting. He also won a Silver Slugger Award, joining Fernando Valenzuela (1981) and Piazza (1993) as the only Dodgers to be named the top offensive player in the NL at their respective position and win Rookie of the Year in the same season.
What’s more, Seager also set a Dodgers franchise record for most home runs by a shortstop in a season, broke Eric Karros’ rookie record for most doubles (30), and with 321 total bases broke Mike Piazza’s rookie record (307).
The laundry list of accomplishments are all the more remarkable when taking into account the 22-year-old said during Spring Training this year that he lacked his ‘A swing’ last season.
Seager entered the series finale against the Rockies batting .281/.354/.474 with five doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI. He’d recently been mired in a tough skid, striking out in six consecutive at-bats.
| Player | Team | Hits | Runs | RBI | Doubles | Home runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chuck Klein | Phillies | 289 | 153 | 167 | 53 | 50 |
| Johnny Frederick | Brooklyn Dodgers | 287 | 179 | 109 | 69 | 31 |
| Orlando Cespeda | Giants | 257 | 127 | 141 | 56 | 38 |
| Albert Pujols | Cardinals | 234 | 142 | 152 | 60 | 42 |
| David Wright | Mets | 223 | 126 | 123 | 52 | 35 |
| Corey Seager | Dodgers | 241 | 130 | 99 | 53 | 32 |
