Corey Seager Should Be in The MVP Discussion -

The Dodgers open their three-game wild card playoff series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. You can easily say that perhaps they wouldn’t be where they are without perennial MVP candidate Mookie Betts. There is no doubt that Betts had an absolutely fantastic season and nobody would argue how important he is to the Dodger’s lineup. However I think we should also acknowledge that shortstop Corey Seager is just as important if not more important to the Dodger’s success than Betts.

Seager who has been besieged by injuries in recent years turned in an excellent campaign. Through 232 plate appearances in 2020 Seager slashed .307/.358/.585 with a .943 OPS and a 152 OPS+ over 52 games played. Seager crushed 15 home runs and drove in 41 runs. Seager ranked in the top 15 in MLB in hits, Home runs, and runs batted in. Seager also ranked in the top 20 in OPS and he finished with a higher OPS than his 2016 rookie of the year season.

What helped Seager tremendously was him staying healthy throughout most of the season. Overall Seager finished with the second highest OPS among shortstops in all of MLB. He also finished second in slugging among shortstops as well. His performance reminded me of how he produced in 2016 when he was one of the best hitters in baseball. He didn’t trail off at the end of the season either, posting a .932 OPS in September.

If the Dodgers are to win the World Series this year, they are going to need Corey Seager to produce just as much as Betts, Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner. Seager has struggled in the postseason in recent years, but I’m hoping that this year will be different. Judging from the way he’s dominated opposing pitchers this year 2020 could be finally the year that Seager leads the Dodgers to a World Series championship. The Dodgers are going to need his bat.