Scouting profile: Corey Seager

Background
Left-handed-hitting Dodgers shortstop prospect Corey Seager is a special player. He has the athletic ability to be the centerpiece of a franchise.

After he hit .519 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs at Northwest Cabarrus (N.C.) High School, the Dodgers selected Seager in the 2012 Draft. Seager was the 18th player chosen in a fantastic field of potential stars that included Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton as the first two players off the board.

An excellent student in high school, Seager chose to sign with the Dodgers as opposed to attending the University of South Carolina.

Corey is the youngest of three professional baseball-playing Seager brothers. Older brother Kyle is having a fine career with the Seattle Mariners, while middle brother Justin is competing at Class A Advanced Bakersfield in his third Minor League season in the Mariners' system.

Seager is No. 1 among the Dodgers' Top 30 Prospects.

Hitting
Seager has a very natural, easy and compact swing. He has improved his mechanics since I saw him for the first time in the 2013 Arizona Fall League. Seager looked off-balance and rather passive at the plate then, hitting only .181 with 25 strikeouts.

In his second Fall League appearance last fall, Seager looked much more relaxed and in control. He hit .281 with 10 doubles, two triples and a homer.

Seager has very good bat speed and makes excellent contact. He can barrel the ball to all parts of the field as he lets pitches travel deep in the zone. Seager is much more aggressive in his approach than he was in his early days, covering the plate well and recognizing pitches quickly. He continues to make excellent strides as a hitter.

Defense
A wiry 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Corey is the tallest of the Seager brothers. Some scouts and baseball personnel feel Seager's size dictates an immediate move to third base. I'm not among them.

I feel Seager looks comfortable at shortstop, and he has adequate range and arm strength to play average defense at the position. I don't see the benefit of moving him unless and until Seager and the team feel it is in their best interests to make the switch. In short, it isn't broken. I see no reason to try to fix something that is working. But clearly, the day may come when Seager is switched to third base.

Seager does not have the quickest feet or first step to the ball, and he doesn't look particularly graceful at shortstop.

Strengths
Seager has excellent baseball instincts. He has the type of physical presence in the batter's box that dictates caution to the pitcher. A pure hitter, Seager will only continue to refine his mechanics and get even better at the plate.

As he has matured, his contact rate has improved. While Seager doesn't flash game-changing power yet, I think he can be counted upon for a minimum of 20 homers at full development.

Seager will make his mark by getting on base as well as driving in runs. He will become tougher and tougher to deceive as a hitter. Seager has a .307 composite batting average in parts of four Minor League seasons.

Weaknesses
Seager is not a speedy runner and won't be a basestealing threat. However, he knows how to run the bases.

Seager lacks some range at shortstop. He currently plays deep, making slow rollers hit in front of him a bit challenging.

I find this interesting
On May 28, Seager went 6-for-6 with six RBIs for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers. It was a sample of his refined hitting ability.

The future for Seager
Seager should offer the Dodgers a real spark as he gets his first taste of the big leagues after being called up on Thursday. Given his ability, he will become part of the strong Dodgers nucleus sooner than later. It's just a matter of time before Seager wins a full-time job with the parent club.

Seager in a word
Soaring.