MLB drafts: 10 best selections from 2012-16
By Bill Felber
MLB draft: 10 best selections from 2012-16
10. Corey Seager, (2012 draft) 2.54 average WAR
The Dodgers operate one of baseball’s most skilled draft and development systems. Since 2012, they have drafted and produced three bulwarks of their 2017 and 2018 National League champions: Seager, Walker Buehler, and Cody Bellinger, as well as catcher Matt Beaty.
Seager was the 18th overall selection in the 2012 draft, taken out of high school in North Carolina. In nearly 400 games across parts of five minor league seasons, he batted .307
A September 2015 callup, Seager arrived for real in 2016 and won the shortstop job. He batted .308 with 26 home runs, made the All-Star team, winning Rookie of the Year and finishing third in the Most Valuable Player voting.
In 2017 Seager batted .295 with another 22 home runs and a second All-Star appearance. He fought through an injury-plagued 2018 but returned in 2019 to deliver a league-leading 44 doubles, a.272 average, and 19 home runs.
In his three full seasons – setting aside 2018 – Seager has averaged a 5.2 WAR contribution to the Dodgers cause, all of it while playing the most critical defensive position.
He’s done all that in a cost-efficient fashion. One of the virtues of succeeding in the draft is the relatively inexpensive cost of talent. Seager’s $5.69 million career earnings average out to $1.42 million per season, not bad at all for a consistent contributor.