2012 MLB Draft: Dodgers Select Corey Seager 18th Overall
In what was sure to be a memorable day for the Seager family, their youngest son, Corey, was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers as the 18th overall pick.
Another member of the Seager clan, Kyle Seager, currently plays third base for the Seattle Mariners. He was drafted in 2009.
Corey Seager, a shortstop out of Northwest Cabarrus High School (Kannapolis, NC), represents a deviation in the overall draft strategy for the Dodgers these past ten years. The last time the Dodgers selected a position player with their first round pick was when they selected their current first basemen, James Loney, back in 2002.
Seedling to Stars writer Robbie Knopf had the Dodgers opting to take high school third basemen Joey Gallo as opposed to Seager, who Knopf predicted would be taken 21st overall by the Atlanta Braves. To check out Robbie’s other predictions, click here.
Seager is quite larger than your average shortstop, standing at 6 feet, 4 inches, and weighing 205 pounds—which means that the Dodgers brass will probably be pressured to switch him to third at some point in his Minor League career.
The Stuff:
Seager is known for being an excellent defensive shortstop, despite his lanky frame. He has solid footwork and a cannon for an arm. But as mentioned above, I just don’t see someone of Seager’s stature remaining at shortstop for too much longer.
Offensively, Seager swings a pretty good left-handed bat, and will probably find himself penciled in the 4th or 5th spot in the order eventually.
However, reports indicate that he stands pretty stiff and rigid at the plate, with his elbow cocked back and his hands in a weird, hitched-like position (for lack of a better term) , potentially creating inconsistencies in his swing that will be exposed at the professional level. He’s also known as somewhat of a free swinger, but luckily, his above average bat speed in high school enabled him to make up for these deficiencies.
The Future:
Despite these holes in his swing, Seager seems to be a “coachable” player, and will have to work to build consistency with his swing if he hopes to scale the Dodgers Minor League system.
Luckily, with his first stop most likely being with the Ogden Raptors, the Dodger’s Rookie affiliate, he’ll get to work with hitting coach Doug Mientkiewicz, a former Major Leaguer who had a respectable eleven-year career.
Seager verbally committed to play for the University of South Carolina. However, his agent, the infamous Scott Boras, will attempt to get Mr. Seager the most cash as possible, as he is wont to do.
Nonetheless, I still think it’d be best if Seager were to go play for the Gamecocks and build a more repeatable, fundamentally-sound swing. If he can hit for both power and average, and remains the solid defender that he is know, he has the potential to be drafted even higher in a few years’ time.
EDITOR’S NOTE: To read more about the Los Angeles Dodgers, be sure to check out Lasorda’s Lair!