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MLB Playoffs: Corey Seager and Trea Turner’s Impact on NLDS

By Ryan Schultz

Oct 9, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Trea Turner (7) steals second base as Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (5) is unable to make the tag during the fifth inning during game two of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball series at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Trea Turner (7) steals second base as Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (5) is unable to make the tag during the fifth inning during game two of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball series at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Dodgers and Nationals are deadlocked at 1-1 in the NLDS. The Dodgers are led by Justin Turner offensively, while Daniel Murphy is fighting him punch for punch on the Nationals. However, there is a key player on each team that wasn’t around for the MLB playoffs last year.

Corey Seager was the shocking addition to the Dodgers’ September roster last season, hitting .337/.425/.561 during that month in just over 100 PAs. Because of his impressive showing at the tail end of 2015, he was the consensus pick to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award headed into the 2016 season. All signs point toward that prediction being correct. However, a newcomer to the race began to make it interesting when he was called up halfway through the season.

Trea Turner was a top prospect with an inordinate amount of speed. He was lacking, however, in terms of hitting, both for power and contact. When he made his debut for the Nationals, it was simply out of necessity based on the number of injuries to the Washington infield. Once he was called up, he made it impossible for the Nationals to send him back down. They even moved him around the field simply to keep him in the lineup, and hopefully onto the base paths. Despite questions being raised about his ability at the plate, he has hit .342/.370/.567 in just over 300 PAs this season.

Seager and Turner will most likely finish first and second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, but they’re currently competing for something far more important. In the tightest series of the postseason so far, these two rookies have huge impacts on the success of their teams. If you’ve watched a single minute of the series, you know this to be true.

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Corey Seager has hit home runs in the first innings of both games. In the first game, it was a key moment in getting the win along with a home run from Justin Turner. Trea Turner has been most noticeable during the series on the base paths, especially in Game 2 when he was able to get on base twice. Any time Turner gets to first base he becomes an immediate threat to swipe a bag, which he did against Rich Hill in the fifth inning. Turner came around to score that important insurance run later that inning.

Depth becomes even more important during the postseason. The more players that can contribute to the offense, the better chance that team has to win when every run is crucial to success. The Nationals missed out on the postseason last year, and the Dodgers were a first round exit. While the additions of Seager and Turner aren’t solely responsible for the increased success for either team, they were important additions that greatly added to the depth of both clubs.

With the lineups so evenly matched in the series, it may come down to which rookie performs best. Daniel Murphy and Justin Turner are battling it out as the key contributors, but the winner in the Seager vs. Turner matchup may just be the tipping point of the series. So far Seager has a slight edge, but Turner has shown an ability to add surprising power and the ever-important speed to the Nationals lineup.

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For those without a rooting interest in the series, it’s incredibly fun to watch two very young players duke it out like this. Turner’s speed and leverage on the base paths are what make the playoffs so interesting and exciting, where each run is so important. Corey Seager being the only player since Derek Jeter to homer in his first two playoff games isn’t boring either.

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