Corey Seager

Seager was part of the historic group of young shortstops who debuted in the mid-2010s, though he'd been a tier below the rest prior to last season thanks to a lack of steals, mediocre home run totals and a season lost to Tommy John surgery. He fully caught up to the rest of that group at the plate in 2020, breaking out in his age-26 campaign to hit .307/.358/.585 with 15 homers. He followed that up with an outstanding postseason, homering eight times in 18 games while hitting .328/.425/.746. His breakout was backed by his underlying numbers, as his barrel rate more than doubled to 15.8% while his exit velocity leapt from 88.8 mph to 93.2 mph, giving him an xBA of .330 and an xSLG of .653, suggesting he underachieved, if anything. Given his longstanding reputation as a very talented young hitter, there's reason to believe Seager will remain one of the game's best shortstops in 2021.

Seager, despite coming back off both elbow and hip injuries, was still an above-average offensive producer in 2019. Yet, the level of production, especially with the 2019 baseball, was disappointing for fantasy owners. In hindsight, expectations really should have been lowered for someone coming off two major surgeries as Seager was. The splits show a guy that still inflicts damage against righties, but has had struggles against lefties in both the abbreviated 2018 season as well as this past season. His Statcast data also shows a step back from the quality of contact baseline that he established from 2015 through 2017 with some particular struggles against breaking balls. The great thing here is that 2019 is a very attractive floor to what this talented hitter can do for your roster. Seager, when healthy, is going to be very productive and presents a solid value for those not suffering from recency bias.

The fact that Seager was still limited in the volume and distance of his throwing at the start of spring training should have been a huge red flag. Seager insisted he would be active for Opening Day, but he didn't appear to be himself as he was limited to DH duty initially upon joining big-league camp and slashed just .220/.316/.440 during Cactus League play. While he was indeed cleared for the start of the year, Seager's struggles continued into the regular season and then, suddenly, in late April the Dodgers announced that Seager was headed for Tommy John surgery. Later in the summer, Seager had another procedure to repair a torn left hip labrum and shave a misshaped bone. Seager was an emerging star in the game before the lost season, having shown an ability to hit for both power and average. If these surgeries have their desired effect, Seager should end up being a tremendous bargain.

Even as he battled multiple injuries in 2017, Seager delivered an impressive encore to his Rookie of the Year campaign, reaching base at a .375 clip while racking up 55 extra-base hits. Unfortunately for Seager, his health issues caught up with him in October, as a back injury sidelined him for the entirety of the NLCS and likely contributed to his poor performance in the World Series. In addition, the shortstop played through a sore elbow for much of the second half and playoffs, though the Dodgers are hopeful a winter of rest and rehab will allow him to enter spring training at full strength. Seager's health is worth checking during the Dodgers' initial workouts, but if the early reports are positive, pencil him in for another season of outstanding four-category production. Since Seager prioritizes spraying the ball to all fields, he'll likely be merely an above-average contributor in home runs, but his sound approach as the No. 2 hitter in a stacked offense should make him an excellent source of batting average and runs.

Picking up where he left off after a strong September showing, Seager played like a veteran in his first full season en route to NL Rookie of the Year honors and a third place NL MVP finish. Though he exhibited power in the low minors, Seager's 26 long balls exceeded expectations. A 17.9 percent HR/FB mark isn't outrageous, but still, don't be surprised if he incurs some regression in the power department. Seager's batted-ball profile and hard-hit rate fully support a high batting average on balls in play, yielding a solid floor in terms of batting average and run production. There's even some room for growth with respect to plate skills. A 79 percent contact rate is league average nowadays, but his pedigree portends improvement. Despite the fact he is entering his age-23 season, Seager should be viewed as an extremely safe four-category anchor.

Reasonable minds can disagree about whether Seager is the top prospect in baseball heading into the 2016 season, but it is hard to argue that he's not the safest prospect in the game. The Dodgers maintain that he is their shortstop of the future, and while it seems likely that he will move to third base at some point in his career, fantasy owners should get at least two or three years of shortstop eligibility out of him. His career could even mirror those of Cal Ripken and Alex Rodriguez, where he stays up the middle for a decade-plus. It is completely unreasonable to expect him to pick up where he left off last year. After all, it was a 27-game sample and he only faced six teams over that stretch, so the league has not yet adjusted to him. Still, he has the look of a top-five fantasy shortstop for years to come.

It doesn’t really matter if Seager can stick at shortstop, because the guy can flat out rake. He profiles as an above-average offensive option at either spot on the left side, and his stock has never been higher. Seager obliterated pitchers at both stops in 2014, posting a .352/.411/.633 slash line at High-A Rancho Cucamonga and a .345/.381/.534 line at Double-A Chattanooga. He combined for 20 home runs and six steals in 118 total games at both stops, and doesn’t turn 21 until after the start of the 2015 season. The younger brother of Kyle Seager (who has 20-plus home runs in three straight seasons in Seattle), Corey is actually more highly regarded as a prospect than his older brother ever was. In addition to staggering numbers, strong bloodlines and the potential to stick at shortstop, Seager also has a clear path to the big leagues as the Dodgers will soon have gaping holes at both spots on the left side of the infield. Expect a late-2015/early-2016 debut.

The organization's first-round pick (No. 18 overall) in 2012, Seager's professional career has gotten off to a strong start. Seager swatted 16 homers in 372 overall at-bats in 2013, though after domination in the Low-A Midwest League (.918 OPS), Seager posted just a .566 OPS in 100 at-bats in the High-A California League. He will likely be a third baseman long-term, but for now he appears to be sticking at shortstop in the lower levels of the minors. Look for Seager to conquer High-A in 2014 and finish the season in Double-A, with a mid-to-late 2015 debut possible.

The younger brother of Seattle's Kyle Seager, Corey looks to have the higher ceiling of the two after being drafted out of high school as the 18th overall pick in 2012. Seager got his pro career off to a great start, batting .309/.383/.520 with eight home runs and eight stolen bases in 175 at-bats in the rookie-level Pioneer League. He's likely a third baseman long-term, and so far it appears he has the bat to handle the position. Seager will make the jump to Low-A this year and is probably three years from the big leagues.