See all the reasons why the Dodgers' Corey Seager was a unanimous NL Rookie of the Year
Shortstop
After coming into the season ranked as MLB.com's No. 1 overall prospect, Seager made good on that promise -- and then some -- by hitting .308/.365/.512 with 26 homers, 72 RBIs, 321 total bases, an All-Star selection and a 6.1 WAR. Without much surprise, then, he was elected the National League Rookie of the Year by a unanimous BBWAA vote:
The unanimous pick for the @officialBBWAA 2016 NL Rookie of the Year: @Dodgers SS Corey Seager. pic.twitter.com/QlFQQVigqQ
— MLB (@MLB) November 14, 2016
Seager, 22, gave fans plenty to cheer about all season long, whether on offense or defense -- or just with that smile:
Or his particular method of time-passing during pauses in play:
Below, enjoy some other, non smile or hair-related reasons just why Seager wound up the easy pick for NL ROY.
He hit one of the Dodgers' biggest home runs of the year
Legendary announcer Vin Scully retired at the conclusion of this past season (or the "regular year," as he'd refer to it). The final game Scully called at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 25, well, that was one for the ages. Los Angeles won in walk-off fashion thanks to a
That's clutch.
He ended
Timing is everything, and as far as the Dodgers and Giants are concerned, there is no fiercer rivalry in sports. So, with Giants lefty Matt Moore in absolute domination mode on Aug. 25 at Dodger Stadium, L.A. fans found themselves overcome with anxiety when Moore took a no-hit bid to the bottom of the ninth.
"No worries, guys, I got this!" said Seager metaphorically with a two-out single to right field, falling in just ahead of
Oh, and did we mention it was also Seager's bobblehead night? Because it was.
His hand-eye coordination is 80-grade
Sometimes, popups can wreak major havoc on infielders when that pesky sun makes its presence felt. Enter Seager, who showed that his adaptive skills are a cut above with a slick barehanded save after bumping into Culberson to rob
His range into short-center field is just silly
As seen above, Seager isn't afraid to use his glove when he absolutely has to in order to field tricky popups:
He was the picture of poise in otherwise tense situations
Game 5 of the NLDS between the Dodgers and Nationals was an absolutely ridiculous contest pulled out by Los Angeles in thrilling fashion -- and it was Seager's calm, focused throw home in the sixth inning that nabbed would-be run-scorer
Really, though, that swing
Seager staked the Dodgers to a quick lead in Game 2 of the Division Series against
Hustle, hustle, hustle
On the basepaths, Seager also didn't take anything for granted. Witness this 19-mph hustle to prevent a forceout and, instead, plate the Dodgers a key run in a game against the Cubs on Aug. 28:
As you've seen with the litany of stellar moments above, Seager is the real deal. Folks figured he was after he had his first proverbial cup of coffee in the Majors in '15, slashing .337/.425/.561 with four homers and a 1.6 WAR in just 27 games -- and he backed that up with a flatly outstanding first full season in '16.
Take a bow, kid, you did a pretty, pretty good job.
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