Texas Rangers star Corey Seager is on track to have a huge second half of the 2024 season following the MLB All-Star break.
The Rangers have endured a mediocre 2024 season heading into the All-Star break. With that being said, the team has played better in July and the future remains bright. Rebuilding may be an option if the Rangers struggle over the next few weeks, but Seager looks to be the one star poised to lead Texas to the playoffs in 2024.
Corey Seager Poised To Lead Rangers in Second Half
Rangers star shortstop Corey Seager is among the best players in baseball. He finished second in American League MVP voting during the 2023 season. Seager has not played up to his full potential in 2024, though. His ’24 statistics are surely coveted by many, as the veteran shortstop is currently slashing .272/.356/.484/.840 across 82 games played. In 2023, however, Seager recorded an incredible 1.013 OPS.
Seager is capable of performing at an MVP-caliber level. The highest he’s finished in MVP voting is second, but that doesn’t mean he will not win the award in the future. Perhaps he can even enter the conversation once again in 2024 with a strong second half.
Seager’s underlying statistics suggest a promising outlook. According to Baseball Reference, he is hitting the ball hard 49.4 percent of the time. Additionally, he is walking 11 percent of the time which is his highest mark since joining the Rangers. Opposing pitchers are approaching Seager with caution, as he currently leads the league with nine intentional walks.
Corey Seager sent this ball back to Arlington. pic.twitter.com/0rzrsCuWzb
— Michael Bier (@MichaelJBier) July 9, 2024
He is hitting the ball hard and getting on base. Those are two of the most important things a hitter can control. He also has the highest fly-ball rate of his three-year Rangers career so far with a mark of 32.9 percent. Seager has hit 18 home runs, and his underlying statistics indicate that he may see an uptick in long balls moving forward.
Why Has Seager Failed To Produce Elite Numbers in 2024?
Corey Seager is striking out more than ever in 2024 with the Rangers since he joined the team in 2022. Yet, a 17.2 percent strikeout rate is not too alarming. His line drive rate is also down while his ground ball rate is up. Nevertheless, the fact that Seager is still elevating the ball is a good sign.
He has endured some back luck compared to 2023. In 2023, Seager finished the year with an eye-opening .340 BABIP (batting average on balls in play). Seager holds a .286 BABIP up to this point in 2024. That mark is not terrible, but he clearly had better luck in 2023.
All things considered, Seager will begin to find more consistent success as long as he continues to get on base and hit the ball hard at a high level. If the team can stay healthy around him, then Seager will have a tremendous opportunity to lead the Rangers back to the postseason.
The Rangers understand that all they need to do is book their ticket to the postseason, regardless of whether it is via a division title or wild card appearance. Anything can happen in October, as they proved last year.
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