Dodgers Team News

Dodgers News: Jimmy Rollins Views Corey Seager’s Height As Beneficial

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Led by Joc Pederson, Corey Seager and Julio Urias, the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system paints a promising picture for the future. Whereas Pederson is on the cusp of becoming an every day Major Leaguer, Seager’s and Urias’ futures aren’t quite as clear.

With Urias, the question is how many more seasons until the pitching phenom debuts with the Majors. The same holds true for Seager, though there are some who still question what position he’ll eventually play.



Seager’s 6’4, 215–pound frame has led to speculation he’ll need to transition from shortstop to third base. However, Rollins, listed at 5’8, believes that Seager’s size could be advantageous, via ESPN’s Mark Saxon::

I don’t see anything that can stop him from playing short if he wants to,” Rollins said. “Obviously, a young kid like that, the question is, ‘Is he going to continue to grow and get a little bigger and heavier?’ But if he stays where he is, he does everything right over there. He’s long, so he makes that throw seem short. Things that a shorter guy like myself would have to do, he doesn’t have to because he doesn’t take as many strides to get there.”

Manager Don Mattingly also isn’t falling in line with that school of thought that Seager must move to third base because of his size:

From the day that he signed, the first thing I ever read about him was that he was going to be too big for short,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “Everything I ever read about him, someone always mentions that he’ll probably have to move to third. I’m wondering where that comes from. I’m like, ‘Is anybody watching this kid play short?’ Because I’m watching him play short and I’m thinking, ‘It looks like he can play short to me,’ but what do I know?”

Mattingly previously likened Seager to Hall of Fame shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr., who manned the position for years despite being taller than the prototypical middle infielder.

The 20-year-old prospect has undoubtedly made quite the impression on the Dodgers organization in his first big league camp with maturity both at the plate and in his approach. In 12 games this Spring, Seager is batting .333 and has a.500 on-base percentage.

Rollins and Juan Uribe each have one year remaining on their respective contracts, and what direction the Dodgers decide to go in after the 2015 season may impact what the organization decides to do with Seager.

That being said, there’s been nothing to suggest Seager won’t eventually don a Dodgers uniform as the club’s starting shortstop.

[divide]

Corey Seager Discusses Walk-Off Hit


Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Staff Writer

Staff Writer features content written by our site editors along with our staff of contributing writers. Thank you for your readership.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button