Heading into today’s slate of action, the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves at 46-36, first in the National League West by four games over the San Francisco Giants. Obviously, with the potential of a playoff spot on the line, the Dodgers will be looking to upgrade their roster as the trade deadline comes closer.
One possible place for the Dodgers to look for an upgrade would be at shortstop. Jimmy Rollins, acquired in an offseason trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, has provided virtually nothing this season. He has a meager .208/.263/.322 batting line, and has had a rough time defensively, costing the Dodgers six runs in 76 games. The Dodgers definitely need a change.
However, instead of looking to make a trade, the Dodgers may well have the upgrade already in the system in Corey Seager. Seager had been considered one of the top prospects in baseball before the start of the year, as he was essentially a consensus top ten pick across various prospect rankings. It is easy to see why, given his .349/.402/.602 batting line and twenty home runs last season.
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Thus far, Corey Seager has proven that his 2014 season was just the beginning. After spending a month at AA, the 21 year old shortstop was promoted to the Oklahoma City Dodgers. He has acquitted himself quite well at AAA, producing a solid .283/.335/.457 batting line with seven home runs and 16 doubles. Any concerns about whether or not Seager could handle that jump in competition would appear to be assuaged.
Seager’s performance at AAA may actually be a bit low considering his peripheral statistics. His .326 batting average on balls in play is just nine points higher than the league average, and his 21.3% line drive rate is almost exactly in line with the Pacific Coast League.
Presently, the Los Angeles Dodgers shortstops have posted a .615 OPS, the second worst mark in the National League. While Seager may not set the world afire at the major league level just yet, it is easy to imagine that he would be a far better option than the fading Jimmy Rollins. As the shortstop of the future, Seager would simply move that timeline up a few months.
The Los Angeles Dodgers need to upgrade at short, and they may well have that upgrade already in their system. Instead of trotting out someone who has essentially been a black hole in the lineup, the Dodgers may as well see what they have in Corey Seager at the major league level.