After seven years with the Dodgers, Seager enteredfree agency and signed a 10-year contract worth $325 million with the Rangers. With the Rangers, Seager has been named an All-Star three times. He helped Texas claimtheir first World Series championship in 2023 and was named World Series MVP for the second time, becoming only the 4th player to achieve this feat and the only player to win the World Series MVP in both leagues.
In 2014, Seager hit .352 with 18 home runs and 70 RBI for the Quakes and was selected to the mid-season California League All-Star team.[10] He played for the USA team at the 2014All-Star Futures Game.[11] After the Futures Game, Seager was promoted to theChattanooga Lookouts of theDouble–ASouthern League.[12] With the Lookouts, he played in 38 games and hit .345.[8]
Seager was named the MVP of the California League for 2014.[13] He was also selected toBaseball America's minor league All-Star team.[14] On September 26, the Dodgers announced that Seager was the co-winner, along withJoc Pederson, of the organization's "Minor League Player of the Year" award.[15] He returned to the Desert Dogs in the AFL after the season and was awarded a spot on the AFL Top Prospects List.[16]
Seager received a non-roster invite to the Dodgers major league spring training in 2015.[17] MLB.com ranked him the 7th-best prospect in baseball going into the 2015 season, andBaseball America named him the #5 prospect in 2015.[18][19] The Dodgers assigned Seager to their new Double–A affiliate, theTulsa Drillers of theTexas League, to start the 2015 season.[20] In 20 games with the Drillers, Seager hit .375 with five homers and 15 RBI.[8] ManagerRazor Shines said of him, "I'm running out of words to describe this kid. He's phenomenal."[21]
On May 1, 2015, Seager was promoted to theOklahoma City Dodgers of theTriple–APacific Coast League (PCL).[22] In a game on May 28 against theSalt Lake Bees, Seager had six hits in six at-bats, including a home run, and six RBI. He was the second player in the history of the Oklahoma City franchise to record six hits in one game.[23] He was selected to the mid-season PCL All-Star team.[24] In 104 games for Oklahoma City, Seager hit .276 with 13 homers and 59 RBI.[8]Baseball America selected him to their Minor League All-Star team,[25] and named him a Triple–A All-Star and the Triple–A Player of the Year.[26]
On September 3, 2015, theDodgers called Seager up to the majors,[27] and he made his debut that night as the starting shortstop against theSan Diego Padres.[28] He had two hits in four at-bats with two RBI in his debut, with his first MLB hit being a double to right field off ofColin Rea of the Padres.[29]
On September 12, 2015, against theArizona Diamondbacks, Seager was 4-for-4 with his first MLB home run (offJosh Collmenter), a walk and a stolen base, making him the third-youngest player in history to accomplish that feat (afterKen Griffey Jr. andOrlando Cepeda).[30] On September 21, Seager passedBill Russell by reaching base safely in his first 16 major league starts, a new Dodger record.[31] He hit .337 in 27 games with the Dodgers, with four homers and 17 RBI,[32] supplantingJimmy Rollins as the Dodgers starting shortstop down the stretch.[33] He was the starting shortstop for the Dodgers in the first game of the2015 National League Division Series, making him the youngest position player to start a postseason game in franchise history.[34]
Seager for the Dodgers during an inter-league game atYankee Stadium on September 13, 2016.
Seager was theDodgers'Opening Day starting shortstop in 2016, the youngest for the Dodgers sinceGene Mauch in1944.[35] On June 3, Seager hit three home runs in a game against theAtlanta Braves. He was the first Dodgers shortstop to do so sinceKevin Elster in2000, the youngest shortstop in major league history to accomplish that feat, and the sixth youngest player overall.[36] Seager was named theNational League Rookie of the Month for June[37] and was selected to play on the National LeagueAll-Star team.[38] He also participated in theHome Run Derby and hit 15 homers, the second best total for a Dodgers player in Derby history, though he failed to advance past the first round.[39]
On August 6, 2016, Seager hit his 31st double of the season, surpassingEric Karros to set a new Dodgers rookie record,[40] and two days later, he hit his 20th home run of the season, surpassingHanley Ramírez for sole possession of the Los Angeles Dodgers record for home runs in a season by a shortstop.[41] He hit his 22nd homer on August 22, tyingGlenn Wright for the franchise record.[42] On August 27, he passed Wright to take sole possession of the record, with a first inning homer off ofJason Hammel of theChicago Cubs.[43] He and his brother,Kyle Seager, became the first pair of brothers in major league history to each hit 25 or more homers in the same season.[44] With two hits on September 17, Seager moved pastSteve Sax (1982) for the most hits in a season by a Los Angeles Dodgers rookie.[45] On September 20, he became the first Dodgers rookie to hit 40 doubles in a season.[46] He finished his rookie season with a .308 batting average, 26 home runs, and 72 RBI in 157 games.[47]Baseball America selected him as their 2016Rookie of the Year,[48] as didTheSporting News[49] and thePlayers Choice Awards.[50]
Following his Rookie of the Year campaign, Seager was considered one of the faces of the "new golden age" of shortstops along withFrancisco Lindor andTrevor Story, as the careers of older shortstops such asDerek Jeter,Alex Rodriguez, andNomar Garciaparra had concluded.[55] On June 20, 2017, Seager had his second career three-home run game, against the New York Mets.[56] He batted .295/.375/.479 with 22 home runs,[32] was named to his second straightAll-Star game,[57] and won his second consecutive Silver Slugger Award, the first Dodgers player to win back-to-back awards sinceMike Piazza won five straight from 1993 to 1997.[58] He was bothered at the end of the season by a sore elbow, which reduced his playing time and effectiveness in September.[59]
A back injury suffered in the third game of the2017 NLDS kept Seager off of the Dodgers roster for the2017 NLCS.[60] However, he returned to the roster for the2017 World Series.[61] He had six hits in 27 at-bats, including a home run and a double in the World Series, but the Dodgers lost the series in seven games to theHouston Astros.[32]
On April 30, Seager was diagnosed with a strain in theulnar collateral ligament of his right elbow, requiringTommy John surgery, which caused him to miss the remainder of the 2018 season.[62][63] He was 27-for-101 (.267) with two home runs and 13 RBIs in the 26 games he played.[32] He also underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left hip on August 7.[64]
Seager was eligible for arbitration for the first time during the 2018–2019 offseason. He agreed to a one-year deal with the Dodgers for $4 million.[65]
On June 11, Seager strained his left hamstring while baserunning and was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to the following day. AnMRI exam confirmed the diagnosis of Grade 1 to Grade 2 strain.[66] Prior to the injury, Seager had been hitting .459 during his last 37 at-bats (17 hits, including 7 doubles). He was activated from the injured list on July 10, and two days later began the second half of the season batting at the top of the order against the Red Sox.[67] Seager finished the regular season batting .272/.335/.483 with 19 home runs, and despite missing one month of play, he set new career highs with 44 doubles (tied for the NL lead) and 87 RBIs.[32]
In his second arbitration-eligible season, Seager agreed with the Dodgers to a one-year, $7.6 million contract.[68] On August 17, Corey faced his brother, Mariners third basemanKyle Seager, for the first time in an MLB game and both homered in the game, becoming the first pair of brothers to homer in the same game sinceCésar andFelipe Crespo did so on June 7, 2001.[69] The emotions of and background leading up to the Seager brothers' August 17 encounter was published in a mini-documentary on the Dodgers' official YouTube channel.[70]
Seager completed the 2020 regular season having played in 51 of 60 games and hit .307/.358/.585.[71] Among all qualified hitters on the Dodgers, he led the team in batting average, slugging percentage, hits (65), doubles (12), and RBIs (41). Seager attributed much of his hitting success during the season to being fully healthy,[72] as partly evidenced by his career-best 93.2 miles per hour (150.0 km/h) Statcast averageexit velocity. On defense, he had the highest fielding percentage among major league shortstops, at .952.[73] Seager was namedMVP of the2020 National League Championship Series,[74] and was then namedMVP of the2020 World Series,[75] while leading the Dodgers to their first championship since 1988. Between the NLCS and the World Series, Seager hit .347/.439/.816 with 7 home runs and 16 RBIs.[32]
In his third and final arbitration-eligible season, Seager agreed to a one-year, $13.75 million contract with the Dodgers.[76] Seager fractured his right hand when he was hit by a pitch byRoss Detwiler of theMiami Marlins on May 15.[77] On September 26, 2021, Seager hit his 100th career home run off ofHumberto Mejía of the Arizona Diamondbacks.[78] For the season he hit .306 with 16 homers and 57 RBIs.[32] In the postseason, he was hitless in three at-bats in theWild Card Game, had five hits in 21 at-bats (.238 average) in the2021 NLDS, and had four hits in 24 at-bats (.167) with two home runs in the2021 NLCS.[32]
On December 1, 2021, Seager signed a 10-year, $325 million contract with theTexas Rangers.[79] The contract was the largest in Rangers franchise history, surpassingAlex Rodriguez's record $252 million deal set in 2000.[80]
Seager in September 2022
In 2022, Seager batted .245/.317/.455 and had the lowest called-strike percentage of all major league batters (9.0%). Although his batting average was a career low .245, he did hit a career-high 33 home runs.[81]
In 2023, Seager batted .327/.390/.623 with 33 home runs and a career-high 96 RBI, leading the AL in doubles (42) and percentage of balls hard-hit (48.4%).[82] He was named to the All-Star team for the second straight year. He finished second in AL MVP Voting, behind Shohei Ohtani, and with his teammateMarcus Semien finishing third.[83]In the2023 World Series, Seager hit .286 with three home runs and six RBI to help the Rangers defeat theArizona Diamondbacks in five games.[84] He became the fourth player in history to win theWorld Series MVP award twice, joinedReggie Jackson as both the second position player and the second player to do so with two different teams, and became the first to win the award in both the American League and the National League.[85]
On August 29, Seager recorded his 200th career home run, against theChicago White Sox.[86] He became the first purely left-handed-hitting shortstop in Major League history to reach this milestone and the 15th shortstop overall.[87]
On September 4, Seager was placed on the injured list due to right hip discomfort which was revealed as a sports hernia on his right side, and due to the injury, he would miss the remainder of the 2024 season. In 123 games, Seager hit .278/.353/.512 with 30 home runs and 74 RBI in 2024.[88]
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