Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager was named the winner of the 2016 Players Choice Award for National League Outstanding Rookie. Seager was selected by his peers over fellow finalists Trea Turner of the Washington Nationals and Aledmys Diaz of the St. Louis Cardinals.
“To be voted (as the winner) by your peers is a little more special for me,” Seager said after he was unveiled as the winner on MLB Network. “It’s kind of the same thing with the All-Star Game, it’s one of those things that it’s nice to see your peers have a mutual respect for you.”
Seager was previously named NL Rookie of the Year by Baseball America and Sporting News. He can take home additional hardware as he’s a finalist for NL Rookie of the Year and MVP.
The 22-year-old is the favorite to win Rookie of the Year, but Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant is likely to take home MVP.
Seager hit .308/.365/.512 with 40 doubles, 26 home runs, 72 RBI and 105 runs scored, while appearing in a career-high 157 games. He set Los Angeles rookie records in hits (193), runs scored, doubles and totals bases (321).
Over 11 postseason games, Seager hit .205/.255/.364 with one double, two home runs, four RBI, two walks and 13 strikeouts. He hit safely in three of six NL Championship Series games, with a pair of multi-hit games.
Raul Mondesi (1994) and Todd Hollandsworth (1996) are the only other Dodgers to win the NL Outstanding Rookie Award.
Turner became a mainstay with the Nationals in July and went on to bat .342/.370/.567 with 14 doubles, eight triples, 13 home runs and 40 RBI in 73 games. He went 7-for-22 (.318) with one RBI in five games against the Dodgers in the NL Division Series.
Designated for assignment by the Cardinals in July 2015, Diaz bounced back with a strong season as he capitalized on an opportunity created by an injury to Jhonny Peralta.
Diaz batted .300/.369/.510 with 28 doubles, 17 home runs and 65 RBI over 111 games, earning a trip to the All-Star Game. Diaz was sidelined for six weeks after suffering a broken right thumb when he was hit by a pitch from the Miami Marlins’ Andrew Cashner on July 31.
