2016 MLB Players Choice Awards
2016 Players Choice Awards Finalists and Winners (In Bold):
American League:
Outstanding Player: Jose Altuve (Houston Astros); Mookie Betts (Boston Red Sox); Mike Trout (LA Angels)
Outstanding Pitcher: Zach Britton (Baltimore Orioles); Corey Kluber (Cleveland Indians); Rick Porcello (Boston Red Sox)
Outstanding Rookie: Michael Fulmer (Detroit Tigers); Tyler Naquin (Cleveland Indians); Gary Sanchez (NY Yankees)
Comeback Player: Yu Darvish (Texas Rangers); Ian Desmond (Texas Rangers); Mark Trumbo (Baltimore Orioles)
National League:
Outstanding Player: Nolan Arenado (Colorado Rockies); Kris Bryant (Chicago Cubs); Daniel Murphy (Washington Nationals)
Outstanding Pitcher: Kyle Hendricks (Chicago Cubs); Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers); Max Scherzer (Washington Nationals)
Outstanding Rookie: Aledmys Diaz (St. Louis Cardinals); Corey Seager (Los Angeles Dodgers); Trea Turner (Washington Nationals)
Comeback Player: Jose Fernandez (Miami Marlins); Rich Hill (Los Angeles Dodgers); Jean Segura (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Either League:
Player of Year: Jose Altuve (Houston Astros); Mookie Betts (Boston Red Sox); David Ortiz (Boston Red Sox)
Man of the Year: Curtis Granderson (NY Mets); Anthony Rizzo (Chicago Cubs); Justin Turner (Los Angeles Dodgers)
For more information on the Players Choice Awards, please click here:
http://playerstrust.org/programs/players-choice-awards/
For the complete list of previous winners, please click here:
Resurgent Matt Kemp
I haven’t written about my old buddy in a while and with good reason. Earlier this season Matt was having one of those weird seasons that made stat folk look up to see who else had done this.
and not in a good way
In Matt Kemp’s first 64 games of 2016 he had managed to acquire only 4 walks in 270 plate appearances. His batting average was .253, his OBP was just a tad better at .259. Matt was selling out patience for power but no one wanted Tony Bautista. Kemp was on a pace to walk fewer than 20 times for the complete season. The last player to walk less than 20 times and hit over 30 home runs was Andres Gallaraga in 1994. Until Odor did it this year for the Rangers.
Luckily he was traded to the Braves and rediscovered his patience walking 20 times in his last 240 plate appearances to post a respectable .336 OBP with the Braves. His wRC+ at 134 was the 3rd best for a LF in the NL in the 2nd half. Just 3 points behind Ryan Braun who Dustin Nosler wants to trade 1/5 the team for.
To MIL: Jose De Leon, Scott Kazmir (+$8.3 million in 2017, $7M in 2018), Howie Kendrick, Yasiel Puig, Alex Verdugo
To LA: Ryan Braun
Kemp isn’t Ryan Braun, but the only thing against Kemp was his initial refusal to play LF in 2014 when for some reason he thought he was still a center fielder. Unlike Braun he doesn’t have the stigma of PED use, and throwing people under the bus to protect himself who were just doing their jobs .
Isn’t it curious that Fangraphs defensive stats for LF in the NL can’t find any good defensive left fielders except Kris Bryant?
As my friend Bobby Down tells us over and over, Matt Kemp is awesome except in May.
The numbers bear this out:
| Year | | | BA/OBP/Slug |
| May 2014 | | | .266 / .293 / .362 |
| May 2015 | | | .186 / .225 / .212 |
| May 2016 | | | .186 / .189 / .373 |
| Career May | | | .249 / .303 / .378 |
| Career | | | .286 / .340 / .490 |
Once Matt Kemp got out of May he would have an excellent offensive season with one little burp in August.
Since Matt Kemp became a full-time player in 2008 this is how he stacks up on the HR outfielder leaderboard:
| Player | HR | PA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Jose Bautista | 277 | 4949 | 0.378 | 0.519 | 0.896 |
| Nelson Cruz | 269 | 4704 | 0.343 | 0.529 | 0.873 |
| Ryan Braun | 251 | 5327 | 0.366 | 0.535 | 0.902 |
| Curtis Granderson | 243 | 5456 | 0.34 | 0.468 | 0.808 |
| Jay Bruce | 241 | 5189 | 0.318 | 0.467 | 0.785 |
| Matt Kemp | 223 | 5339 | 0.34 | 0.489 | 0.829 |
| Adam Jones | 222 | 5593 | 0.319 | 0.462 | 0.781 |
| Justin Upton | 219 | 5408 | 0.349 | 0.476 | 0.824 |
| Giancarlo Stanton | 208 | 3428 | 0.357 | 0.539 | 0.896 |
| Carlos Gonzalez | 201 | 4347 | 0.347 | 0.521 | 0.868 |
Once again, Matt Kemp and Jay Bruce are joined at the hip. Even being traded this season at the trading deadline.
Kenley Jansen
was a bit of a baseball fairy tale story. A light switch-hitting minor league catcher with a gun for an arm who first gained notoriety when he played in the 2009 World Cup for the Dutch and was seen throwing out baserunners from his knees. The Dodgers converted him to a pitcher that summer and ……….
One year later he was pitching in the major leagues, and seven years later holds the Dodger franchise record for saves with 189, a number that might not increase.
The Dodgers made Jansen the qualifying offer today of $17.2 million. Jansen has until 14:00 PT next Monday to say yes or no. He’ll certainly say no as he’s expected to be one of the top free agents of this year’s class. Unless the Dodgers sign him, the Dodgers will receive a sandwich pick between the 1st and 2nd round of the 2017 draft. Unlike other players who have had trouble getting signed after being offered the QO, that will be no problem for Jansen as he should have multiple suitors. One of them could be the SF Giants.
Should the Dodgers sign Jansen? Common sense says yes, but the Dodgers will employ sophisticated statistical analysis to make this decision. There is a reason they have 20 numerical analysts on staff and this is one of the big reasons. I’ve seen a number of 5/85 for Kenley Jansen.
How the Dodger front office handles this decision will have a domino effect on the rest of the winter.
If Jansen is signed how much will that impact the Dodger ability to fill the other holes on the team?
If Jansen signs elsewhere how do the Dodgers go about using their considerable in-house assets to find an alternative.
One thing to keep in mind, as dominant as Kenley Jansen has been, the reality is that you don’t need to be the best relief pitcher in baseball to be a lock down closer. KJ has an 88.40 % success rate in saves. You could say that Shawn Tolleson was worst closer over the past three years and his success rate was 88.50%
A team as smart as the Dodgers should be able to find a cost affordable option that allows them to use their resources elsewhere.
When fans lament who will close if Jansen leaves, they fail to take into account that almost all closers come out of nowhere. I can break down every closer in baseball and show you that for 80% of them, no one saw that 40 save season coming.
But for brevity, let’s just take a look at the 21st century Los Angeles Dodger closer history.
In 2001 Jeff Shaw was finishing his run as the Dodger closer. It was a high price the Dodgers paid to get Jeff Shaw when they traded Paul Konerko and Dennis Reyes. Shaw retired and the Dodgers went into 2002 without a closer. As late as August 31st, 2001 Eric Gagne was still starting for the Dodgers. By April 7th he was the closer, but don’t let anyone tell you that in October of 2001 they felt Eric Gagne was going to be the Dodger closer in 2002.
Gagne would close from 2002 – 2004 but like most closers, his run was spectacular but brief. From May until June Gagne was the closer in 2005 but that was it. Who would step up while Gagne was hurt? Ghame Over Yhency Brazoban took the reigns and put up 21 saves. Honestly, Brazoban wasn’t very good and the Dodgers were searching for a closer headed into the 2006 season.
Ned Colletti traded assets for Danys Baez to be the closer. Baez had collected 96 saves the prior three years and seemed a safe bet to be the Dodger closer in 2006. Baseball had a different opinion and while Baez collected nine saves, he wasn’t very good. Out of nowhere, a thirty something relief pitcher from Japan stepped into the void and shockingly became an excellent closer. Not only 2006 but for all of 2007 and parts of 2008.
Closer in waiting, Jonathan Broxton, took the reigns in 2008 and held that role several years. I will say with Broxton and eventually Jansen the Dodgers had an in-house option that most everyone felt was destined to be a closer. Broxton met those expectations during the regular season and picked up 84 saves from 2008 – 2012. Kuo picked up a few saves in 2010, and guess who else? Kenley Jansen. Eventually, we all knew Kenley Jansen would become the closer and here we are. Yes, I skipped by the Javy Guerra era.
The Dodgers like the 2002 and 2006 teams don’t appear to have a viable in-house option to replace Jansen but it will probably end up being someone that no one expected on Nov 7th, 2016.
No one likes Pedro Baez for many reasons but it would not shock me if Baez can grow into a role of closer. He has the stuff, he just needs to take that step. I wouldn’t bet on Baez to make that step, but it would not shock me if he did just as everyone was giving up on him.
Alex Wood could be that guy.
Jose De Leon could be that guy.
Josh Ravin could be that guy.
Yes, n0ne of them are likely but neither was Gagne or Saito.
A large part of me wants to see Kenley Jansen return, an equally large part of me wants to see how the LAD front office goes about replacing him.
Corey Seager is a MVP finalist
It was already a given that Corey Seager would win the NL ROY award so it was no surprise when MLB announced their top three candidates for the MVP, ROY, CYA, and Manager of the Year finalists that Seager was one of the three for the NL ROY.
NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year: Kenta Maeda, Corey Seager, Trea Turner
It was a mild surprise, however, to see Seager as one of the top three for the NL MVP.
NL Most Valuable Player: Kris Bryant, Daniel Murphy, Corey Seager
I’m sure that Kris Bryant will win the award and he deserves it, but to be in the top three in the MVP vote in your rookie season is excellent.
The rest of the announcements:
Monday, November 14, 6:00 p.m. ET:
AL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year: Michael Fulmer, Tyler Naquin, Gary Sanchez
NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year: Kenta Maeda, Corey Seager, Trea Turner
Tuesday, November 15, 6:00 p.m. ET:
AL Manager of the Year: Jeff Banister, Terry Francona, Buck Showalter
NL Manager of the Year: Dusty Baker, Joe Maddon, Dave Roberts
Wednesday, November 16, 6:00 p.m. ET:
AL Cy Young Award: Corey Kluber, Rick Porcello, Justin Verlander
NL Cy Young Award: Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester, Max Scherzer
Thursday, November 17, 6:00 p.m. ET:
AL Most Valuable Player: Jose Altuve, Mookie Betts, Mike Trout
NL Most Valuable Player: Kris Bryant, Daniel Murphy, Corey Seager
Willie Calhoun gives notice
This past Saturday, Willie Calhoun won the AFL All-Star MVP by going 3 for 3 with a prodigious home run to right field. Calhoun is the lowest ranked of the big three but he might have the best bat. Willie was preseason ranked as the 18th best LAD prospect. He is now 4th, making the biggest jump of the top preseason ranked 30. Willie got there by hitting the most home runs as a 21-year-old in AA ball this summer.
Unfortunately for Willie, winning the AFL MVP award isn’t a very good indicator of future success. Since 2002 the only winners who have gone on to have MLB success have been Kris Bryant, Nolan Arenado, and Dustin Ackley. Other than Ackley, you either win big or fail big.
Willie Calhoun (@Dodgers) wins the 2016 @BowmanCards MVP Award pic.twitter.com/tkFXi9gI5j
— Arizona Fall League (@MLBazFallLeague) November 6, 2016
I drove out to the desert the week before to take in a Glendale Desert Dog game at the Talking Stick Stadium. I had wanted to get a first-hand look at Willie Calhoun, Cody Bellinger, and Alex Verdugo. Particularly Calhoun and Verdugo. Seeing a player up close just adds a dimension you can’t get from watching video highlights. I had already seen Bellinger several times in the spring of 2016.
Calhoun was taking infield when I arrived and right away I noticed he was much squatter than the video showed. He is very big in the butt and thighs, and not anything like a prototypical 2nd baseman. He handled all the infield work just fine but I kept wondering to myself who he reminded me of.
Cody Bellinger looked as smooth at 1st as he had last spring when I last saw him. His demeanor seemed different. In the spring he was a just another kid getting some playing time with the big league club, but now he gave off a very confident air.
Verdugo couldn’t be found but when the team left the field after pregame fielding practice I noticed a Dodger coming in from CF with a very attractive lady. Sure enough, it was Verdugo and he was being set up in front of the dugout for a fairly intensive interview. The interview lasted about ten minutes.
To my dismay the only the Dodger starting was Tim Locastro and nothing against Tim, he wasn’t the one I came to see. As the game progressed the Dodgers who weren’t starting took turns coaching 1st base. I got a long look at Calhoun when it finally struck me who he reminded me of. Good ole roly polly Dodger September legend Ronny Belliard.
Physically the comp fits. They were both 2nd baseman, short of stature, lots of weight below the belt. Belliard would carve out a nice career, but Willie has power that Belliard never had. Or you could go all the way back to the Toy Cannon, Jimmy Wynn. Most people don’t know that Wynn was an infielder before he became a center fielder.
What I didn’t know was that Jimmy Wynn entered the major leagues as a shortstop. In July/1963 he started at shortstop for his 1st 13 games before being moved to CF. He played 8 more games at SS in 63 but all of them late in the game double switches. So after starting at SS for the 1st 13 games of his career, the Toy Cannon would never start another game at SS.
Wynn had speed that Willie does not have, but maybe they have the same power pocket?
I feel confident that Calhoun will be a better than average hitter at the major league level, the only real question is what position will he fill. The Dodgers will give us an idea of what they think of his future by what they do this winter.
They have several options:
- Resign Chase Utley and go with Chase/Howie with Kiké Hernandez backing them up.
- Don’t resign Chase and go with Howie as the main starting 2nd baseman with Kiké Hernandez backing him up
- Sign a free agent 2nd baseman like Todd Walker
- Sign a short term free agent 2nd baseman
- Trade for a 2nd baseman
If they go with Option 1, 2, or 4 it might be signaling they think Willie Calhoun is their future 2nd baseman. If they go that route I’d expect to see Willie a lot in 2017 given he’s just a few injuries to old 2nd baseman from seeing the big club.
If they go with option 3 or 5, that should signal the end of the Willie Calhoun future Dodger 2nd baseman. At that point, he is either moved to another position, (corner OF, 3rd Base), or traded.
Until we see what the Dodger actions are this winter I won’t have any real idea of what the FO thinks of his future. He’s playing 2nd base in the AFL, so one clue for me is that they still want him to be an offensive 2nd baseman. Many seem to think he’s destined for a career as a left fielder.
When you compare what players like Chase/Howie are doing at the major league level right now, Willie’s bat should be able to replicate or better that production in 2017.
Can his bat, make his glove play?
Can the Dodgers wait for the glove while trying to compete in 2017 with Chase/Howie?
Did we learn anything?
a few things.
Evidently, David Ross is very revered. Who knew? Maybe the greatest backup catcher of his generation, but still a backup catcher. Most Dodger fans simply know him as the guy who sucked after Depodesta traded Paul LoDuca and failed to get a replacement catcher who wanted to play for the Dodgers. He had about as big an up and down day any backup catcher can have. He was brought in when Lester was brought in and quickly threw a ball down the line on a nubber. Was hit in the head by an errant pitch from Lester, fell over, and was unable to get a runner out at home who scored from second base on the wild pitch. But then he hit a home run to dead center. His last hit as a baseball player was a home run in game seven of a game his team would win for the Championship. Even Ted Williams didn’t go out that way.
2nd baseman still try to catch the ball barehanded and give away a sure out at 2nd base. The veteran Chase Utley did it in a key moment, and the kid Baez did it again.
You can overuse your bullpen ace, have it blow up in your face, and still win a world championship
I saw a designated thrower inserted into RF for the first time I could remember. I was so hoping to see a fly ball to RF instead of Baez striking out trying to squeeze with two strikes.
For all the talk about running on the Cubs and Lester, no one ran on Lester.
Jon Lester is the most one-dimensional pitcher I’ve ever seen. He not only won’t throw to 1st base from the mound, he won’t throw to 2nd on a ground ball, he underhands to 1st base, and unless the ball is hit right at him refuses to field his position. And yet with all that, he’s awesome.
Anthony Rizzo is a fun goofball
Jason Heyward only seems to have one skill left at the age of 26 and that is playing defense.
Kyle Schwarber continues to be one of my favorite players to watch strike a baseball
The Cubs won the World Series without Schwarber all year, and Jason Hayward missing in action with the bat.
Carlos Santana was exactly what I hoped him to be. Amazing eye, hits the ball hard, hits into bad luck, is a good teammate. Led the World Series in walks with six.
The best team finally won but it took seven games and one extra inning.
These are the AL World Series starters over the past three years. In those three years, they have won a Championship in five games, and taken the NL to seven games only to lose both times.
2014 – James Shields, Ventura, Guthrie, Vargas, Shields, Ventura, Guthrie
2015 – Volquez, Cueto, Ventura, Chris Young, Cueto
2016 – Kluber, Bauer, Tomlin, Kluber, Bauer, Tomlin, Kluber
By 2016 Shields was one of the worst pitchers in baseball, Ventura struggled all year, Guthrie was out of baseball, and Vargas made three three starts. Chris Young was fighting James Shields for worst pitcher in baseball.
Did Maddon win the game and lose the series?
Not trusting his bullpen to protect a five-run lead, Joe Maddon used his best weapon in the 7th and 8th inning last night. Chapman didn’t throw a lot of pitches but it will be interesting to see how he handles whatever workload the Cubs throw at him tonight.
This probably wouldn’t be a big deal if Chapman had not pitched three innings on Sunday, but he did, and it is now doubtful he will be able to replicate that feat tonight. Plus Chapman didn’t even look that sharp and this will be the third game in a row that the Tribe hitters will get a long look at him.
The Tribe came into the series as huge underdogs so it was no surprise the Cubs came back from three games to one to even the series at three games apiece. The rotation was always going to be problematic after Kluber, but for the 3rd time in the series, the Tribe will have Kluber on the mound. They don’t need much from him, only five innings before the well rested Tribe bullpen can come in.
The vegas odds favor the Cubs in this game seven but I’d have to take the Tribe in this one.
In what promises to be a monster event for Las Vegas sports books, the Cubs-Indians showdown in Game 7 on Wednesday opened with Cleveland as a minus-110 favorite. The line quickly moved to pick’em, and in less than an hour, the Cubs were bet to minus-115 favorites. The total is 7 (under minus-120).
They have Kluber / Shaw / Miller / Allen lined up with lots of rest for this one. The Cubs have Kendrick, a possible Lester, Chapman, and the rest of the bullpen that Maddon wouldn’t trust with a five-run lead in the 7th inning, and a possible fatigued Chapman. Maybe the Cub bats are now so hot it won’t matter who the Tribe throws at them but that is what many thought when the BlueJays broke through to score five runs in game four of the ALCS.
This has been a fun world series and with the possibility of a great game seven it will hopefully go out in a big way.
Right Field was not up to snuff
Ever since Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp showed up to be the Dodgers right fielders in 2007 the position has been in good hands, and most times in great hands. From Kemp to Andre to Puig from 2007 to 2015 the position was always one of strength.
That was not the case in 2016. Puig continued his free fall from his heights of 2013/2014/June 2015 and was eventually demoted to AAA for possibly a combination of production and off-field issues. The Dodgers traded for Josh Reddick and made him the full-time right fielder against RHP on August 1st. Reddick put up one of the most anemic months in LAD history for an outfielder in August. By Sept, Puig was back and playing full time against LHP, while Reddick rediscovered his singles stroke.
The numbers say that Josh Reddick was very valuable in Sept of 2016 putting up a wRC+ of 161, but man alive, it sure didn’t seem like he was doing much but dropping a single into right or left field. Reddick batted 5th most of the time and still managed to drive in one run in August, and nine in Sept (5 in one game). I guess that should not have come as a surprise since he only drove in 37 in almost 400 at bats in 2016. I’d expect that from a banjo-hitting catcher who bats eighth, but a right fielder who bats 5th? How is that even possible when you have Justin Turner and Cory Seager on base all time? I know RBI is a stat no one cares about but driving in runs still seems like something a right fielder ought to do more than a bad hitting catcher.
LAD Right Fielders since 2007:
| Player | | | AtBats | | | Year | | | wRC+ |
| Ethier | | | 314 | | | 2007 | | | 102 |
| Kemp | | | 274 | | | 2007 | | | 137 |
| Ethier | | | 398 | | | 2008 | | | 150 |
| Kemp | | | 221 | | | 2008 | | | 122 |
| Ethier | | | 592 | | | 2009 | | | 129 |
| Ethier | | | 509 | | | 2010 | | | 133 |
| Ethier | | | 474 | | | 2011 | | | 123 |
| Ethier | | | 544 | | | 2012 | | | 125 |
| Ethier | | | 182 | | | 2013 | | | 100 |
| Puig | | | 346 | | | 2013 | | | 162 |
| Puig | | | 348 | | | 2014 | | | 161 |
| Kemp | | | 223 | | | 2014 | | | 175 |
| Puig | | | 277 | | | 2015 | | | 116 |
| Ethier | | | 236 | | | 2015 | | | 129 |
| Puig | | | 299 | | | 2016 | | | 108 |
| Reddick | | | 155 | | | 2016 | | | Est 76 |
How about the right field offensive production in 2014? Those numbers were good enough to be the two best hitting right fielders with at least 200 at-bats in right field.
In 2016 we had two of the worst. Scott Schebler could have done what Josh Reddick did. For shit and giggles while sorting on right fielder stats on Fangraphs I decided to see who the best hitting right fielders were in the 2nd half. Number one was Matt Kemp with a wRC+ of 134. 3rd was Scott Schebler at 118.
When it comes to upgrading the team in 2017, the Dodgers have to start in right field. I’m going to assume that Josh Reddick is sent packing. That leaves the enigmatic Yasiel Puig, the shocking rookie Andrew Toles with a time share with Trayce Thompson, trade, or possibly Cody Bellinger.
Looking at Puig, I have no idea how the Dodgers view him anymore. When he was sent packing to AAA in August, many pundits felt he would never play for the Dodgers again. Supposedly he was put on waivers and claimed by the Brewers at which point the Dodgers tried to work out a trade involving Ryan Braun. It didn’t happen and Puig tore up AAA and evidently salvaged his behavior enough to prove the pundits wrong as the Dodgers brought him back up in Sept. Yet they didn’t really commit to Puig. He had always been a full-time player when healthy enough to play but the Dodgers refused to let him face right-hand pitching. He did whatever the Dodgers asked and possibly made the defensive play of the season in left field when he made a marvelous catch keeping Rich Hill perfect on Sept 11th.
Puig looked better in Sept than at any time since July of 2015. There is a myth that Puig hasn’t been good since 2013 but it isn’t true. Puig was brilliant in 2013, great in 2014, and on June 30th, 2015 doing pretty much what he had done in 2014. It is from July 1st, 2015 until July 31st, 2016 that Puig was a shadow of his future self. Given that is 1076 plate appearances of great compared to 425 or so of mediocre I’m still inclined to go with the idea that Puig is not someone the Dodgers should be giving up on unless his off-field behavior makes him intolerable in the clubhouse.
I hope Puig is the starting right fielder in 2017 or is traded for a starting RF because I’d hate to see them trade other resources for someone who isn’t likely to do what Puig can do. Strangely enough, Puig has never started 100 games for the Dodgers in right field in one season. I hope that changes in 2017.
That said, I expect him to be traded, and I expect the Dodgers to regret it.
Trayce Thompson started 22 games in RF when Puig was hurt early and did well. He hit five home runs in only seventy-three at-bats while putting up an OBP of .345. He profiled as a lefty killer but ended up hitting right-handers better than left-handers in 2016. He wasn’t the beautiful Center Fielder we had been told about, but he looked very comfortable in right field. I doubt he’s a full-time right fielder but he might be the perfect platoon mate for either Andre Ethier in Left Field or Andrew Toles in right field.
Andrew Toles had such a remarkable season he’s going to need his own column, but he certainly is a candidate to play some right field in 2017.
Cody Bellinger won’t be anyone’s 1st, 2nd, or 3rd choice to play right field but if injuries hit the players that the Dodgers expect to play right field, I would expect Cody to be the first one from the minors to get a shot.
Cory Seager did it all
At no time in Dodger history has a postseason review of the shortstop position been so positive. Cory Seager did everything and more, not only will he run away with the NL ROY but he’ll probably be a top five MVP vote getter.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have an amazing history of rookies, but the 22-year-old shortstop was able to put his name in the top five of just about every offensive category. It is hard to top what Mike Piazza did in 1993, and Yasiel Puig in 2013 but Seager did make his mark. Let’s see how he did against all the LAD rookies in history.
LAD Rookie Leaderboard 400 PA Minimum
- 1st with 105 runs scored.
- 1st with 193 hits
- 1st with 40 doubles
- 2nd in bWAR at 6.1. 1993 ROY and HOF Mike Piazza was first with 7.0
- 2nd most in Games played at 157. 1969 ROY Ted Sizemore is 1st at 159
- 2nd in Plate Appearances with 687, 1982 ROY Steve Sax is 1st with 699.
- 2nd with 26 home runs. 1993 ROY and HOF Mike Piazza was first with 35
- 3rd in OPS+ at 137, Yasiel Puig is first at 159
- Tied for 3rd in BA at .308 with Andre Ethier. Yasiel Puig is first at .319.
- 3rd in OBP at .365. Yasiel Puig is first at .399
- 4th in Slug% at .512. 1993 ROY and HOF Mike Piazza is 1st at .561
- 5th in RBI with 72. 1993 ROY and HOF Mike Piazza was first with 112
- 5th in ISO at .204. 1993 ROY and HOF Mike Piazza was first with .243
- 6th in walks with 54. Joc Pederson was first with 92 in 2015.
That is how Seager fared as a Rookie for the Dodgers.
How about as a Rookie SS in NL history with at least 400 plate appearances?
- 1st in hits
- 1st in OPS+
- 2nd in fWAR to Troy Tulowitzki
- 2nd doubles to 2006 Hanley Ramirez
- 2nd in home runs to Trevor Story – quite a story for a guy who didn’t play after July 30th.
- 2nd in Runs to 2006 Hanley Ramirez
- 2nd in slug% to Trevor Story
- Mind blown, three rookie Shortstops in NL history have the three best ISO, and they all happened in 2016. Trevor Story is 1st at .295, Aledmys Diaz at .210, and Cory Seager at .204
- 3rd in OPS to Story and Diaz – amazing crop of NL shortstops in 2016.
- 4th in Plate Appearances, Games, and At-bats
- 6th in RBI, BA, and OBP
Yeah, an amazing year for the LAD shortstop Cory Seager. He was much better on defense than advertised and looks like he’ll be the Dodger shortstop in the future. At least that position looks settled.
Dodgers, Yesterday and Today 