Can Corey Seager duplicate what Fred Lynn did in 1975?

Phil Gurnee ♦ August 10, 2016 ♦ 4 Comments

The legend of Corey Seager continues to grow, and as the Dodgers inexplicably climbed back into a tie with the Giants for first place in the NL West the MVP chatter has started to grow.  With good reason, because Corey epitomises to me what an MVP is. I’ve always been on the outside looking in on this debate because I’ve always felt the MVP was what it says, the Most Valuable Player not the best player, and in 2016 you can make a fairly good argument that Corey Seager has been the Most Valuable Player in the NL in 2016.

I was hoping to do this article without resorting to any talk of WAR this and WAR that because I didn’t want to write about WAR. But damn it, according to Fangraphs and their fWAR,  Corey Seager is the best player in the NL. I’ll let others wax poetically about his fWAR.

This is what I want to write about.

There is no doubt the Dodgers would be in a much different position without him.  Game after game you can look at what Corey Seager has meant to the team, key hits here, moving the offense along, providing solid defense,  leadership, never wilting when the going got tough, always consistent.  When Grandal, Turner, and Howie were trying to find their way Corey was there to give the team some offense. While cleanup hitter Adrian Gonzalez struggled with his power, Corey was there to keep the team afloat. When the starting pitching could barely get 15 outs, Corey added his bat to Grandal, Turner, and Howie to make sure they scored enough runs anyway.

Seager is starting to remind me of Fred Lynn who won the 1975 MVP, ROY, and Gold Glove with an outstanding season. They are both doubles hitter who turns their doubles into home runs enough that while not known as a home run hitter, home runs are definitely part of their game. Lynn led the league in doubles with 47, and of course, Corey Seager already has 31 doubles so far this year.

Let’s take a look at them head to head:

Yes, Fred Lynn had a much better offensive season, but it is a testament to the season that Corey Seager is having that he’s even in the conversation with one of the greatest ROY seasons in history. Corey could match that fWAR(dammit)  by the end of the season.

All this is still premature and I hate to even bring it up, but if Seager has another consistent final seven weeks, and the Dodgers win the NL West, I can see a Fred Lynn scenario.