Infielder Kyle Seager #15
24 years old; Experience: one year
Just add Kyle Seager into the long list of soon to be or current Seattle Mariners who are able to provide just an inkling of hope, that after a decade of depravity this motley crew might be able to churn out just enough wins to make it into the playoffs one of these years. This playoff push of course pretty much completely relies on all of these young pieces actually producing at the major league level. Out of all the prospects or players entering their first full year of service, Seager seems best set to be a lasting contributor.
Seager was drafted in 2009 in the third round and pretty much for the get go got himself pushing through the minor league ranks at a pretty good clip. He started 2011 in AA ball, and after absolutely shredding pitchers in AA and AAA the Mariners called him up last year where Seager got a pretty good look at the life of the major leagues. Unlike the seemingly endless parade of Mariners players who can wallop all levels of minor league pitchers but struggle on a consistent basis at the major league plate. Last year, through 53 games Seager hit .258/.312/.379 with three home runs.
Those aren't exactly numbers that will knock the socks off of your grandfather while he updates his scorecard, but they aren't half bad considering Seager opened 2011 in AA. Seager didn't show flashes of extreme power throughout his minor league career. He topped out at 14 home runs in A+ call in 2010, but he has good bat control and doesn't swing at too many bad pitches.
This year, Seager pretty much played his way onto the line-up through Spring Training and although the Mariners are absolutely determined to run Chone Figgins out as much as possible to salvage some millions out of his worthless contract, Seager should still see a solid amount of playing time. With the Mariners already dealing with some outfield injuries, Seager has been able to see quite a bit of time at third base. As of now, he is the "prospect" with the best chance of maintaining his spot on the active roster longest throughout the year. Seager does have some upside, and if he can put the numbers he did throughout the minors, high batting average and on base percentage, he should have a healthy career ahead of him. Hopefully that healthiness happens while in a Mariners uniform.