Corey Seager Isn't A Consolation Prize
Don't forget: Corey Seager is still extremely good at baseball and would make the Yankees astronomically better.
Look, I totally get it: Carlos Correa has won over the hearts of many Yankees’ fans, including yours truly. He’s the best shortstop (and player) in the upcoming free-agent class. I’m not debating that.
I won’t sugarcoat it for you guys: Carlos Correa is a better baseball player than Corey Seager. We also have to keep in mind that Seager is someone who has been heavily linked to the Yankees over the past two years and seems destined to wear pinstripes in the Bronx — so it’s easy for writers/insiders to keep making that connection.
However, the numbers don’t lie…
As you can see, Seager has been the better hitter (and it’s not really close) over the last two seasons during his breakout but Correa has been the better overall player. That’s because of his defense being some of the best in the sport.
Is Seager’s defense going to decline with age? Likely. Does he probably move off shortstop once Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza make their way to the majors? Also, yes, that’s likely.
The thing is: Seager’s offense is just so good that I can’t be even remotely mad about the prospect of the Yankees adding a 130-150 wRC+ bat to their offense that can swing it from the left side.
We can talk all we want about it not mattering what side of the plate a hitter is swinging from, as long as he’s a good hitter, but lineup diversification does still have a place in this sport. Look at teams like the Red Sox, Rays, and Dodgers… they all had a number of high-quality lefty hitters in their lineups (and on their rosters). We also can’t forget about where the Yankees play their home games: Yankees Stadium, which is a stadium built for lefty hitters.
Corey Seager has been one of the best hitters in the National League since the start of 2020, posting a 148 wRC+. Only Juan Soto, Bryce Harper, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Freddie Freeman have higher wRC+’s among players with at least 600 PA in that span. That’s three 2021 NL MVP frontrunners and the 2020 NL MVP himself.
You also have to remember just how bad the production the Yankees got from the shortstop position on both sides of the baseball was in 2021. Yankees’ shortstops had a combined 90 wRC+ and minus-14 Defensive Runs Saved in 2021. Corey Seager only played in 95 games, but he had a 147 wRC+ and zero DRS.
The defense isn’t tremendous, but you can’t argue that his offense being top-tier doesn’t mean anything, right? Of course not, because offense is what the Yankees were lacking during their season that ended in an AL Wild Card Game exit.
The Yankees had the 11th-lowest wRC+ by shortstops in baseball in 2021. That has to change and Seager would greatly impact that… AND FROM THE LEFT SIDE!
Another great thing about Corey Seager is that it doesn’t matter what sided-hand pitcher he’s facing. His numbers were literally the same against both lefty and righty pitchers in 2021. He had a 147 wRC+ against lefties and 147 wRC+ against righties.
Since the start of 2020, Corey Seager has actually been the National League’s third-best lefty hitter against lefty pitching, sporting a 137 wRC+ in that span. Only Juan Soto and Max Muncy have a higher wRC+ by a lefty against lefty pitching in that span among lefty hitters with at least 175 PA against lefty pitching since the start of 2020.
41.8% of the pitches that Corey Seager has seen since the start of 2020 have been fastballs (4-seamers, 2-seamers, and sinkers). Against those pitches, he’s posted a slash line of .381/.464/.674. Yes, that’s right a .674 SLG against fastballs.
Among players with at least 250 PA against fastballs (4-seamers, 2-seamers, and sinkers) since the start of 2020, only Bryce Harper, Will Smith, AJ Pollock, and Nick Castellanos have a higher SLG against fastballs in that span.
The Yankees as a team in 2021 were just above league average in SLG and OPS against fastballs (4-seamers, 2-seamers, and sinkers) with a .460 SLG and .820 OPS. The MLB average was a .448 SLG and .799 OPS. Overall, the Yankees were 12th in SLG and 9th in OPS against fastballs among all MLB teams in 2021.
However, Corey Seager himself destroyed those numbers with a .667 SLG and 1.160 OPS against fastballs in 2021.
People have to stop acting like it would be a bad thing to give a big contract to Corey Seager this offseason. No matter what, he would be a huge part of the Yankees’ lineup, even if/when the defense declines.
The funny thing is that only eight qualified MLB third basemen in 2021 had a wRC+ over 120. Over Seager’s last six seasons, he’s only had one season where he’s played at least 50 games and posted a wRC+ below 125… and that was in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery in 2019, so I’ll cut him some slack there.
By the way, here are his bWAR/150s over his last six seasons… 5.0, 5.5, 2.9 (Tommy John Surgery), 3.2 (first year back from TJS), 6.1, 5.8. Give me that all day.
Also of note: Corey Seager has 10 HR and a .952 OPS over his last 30 playoff games (1.032 OPS with RISP in that span). Nice to have a hitter that can elevate his game when it matters the most — even if some people don’t care that much.
Do I still want Carlos Correa? Absolutely. Would I be disappointed in Hal Steinbrenner, Brian Cashman, and the Yankees for giving a fantastic hitter that would probably translate solidly to third base in a few years a big contract? No way.
I’ve never seen a fanbase so up in arms about the potential of signing a player as great as Corey Seager. Let’s stop that and start embracing a great baseball player.