Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Jimmy Rollins was moved down to eighth in the lineup last week because of his struggles at the plate. On the other hand, top prospect Corey Seager has been performing at Triple-A Oklahoma City. Will a 16-year veteran be dethroned by a rookie?
Rollins was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in the offseason and rumors (as well as common sense) implied the veteran was to serve as a place holder for the Dodgers until Seager was ready to make his MLB debut (likely in 2016). However, the team's plans may change as the season progresses.
Through the first 50 games, Rollins is batting just .209/.277/.358 with 26 runs scored, 6 home runs, 15 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Manager Don Mattingly moved out of him of the leadoff spot in favor of Joc Pederson and then dropped him from second to eighth in the order last week as the offense woes continued.
While all that was happening, Seager was promoted from Double-A Tulsa to Triple-A Oklahoma City and is batting .326/.367/.539/.906 with 32 runs scored, 8 home runs and 30 RBIs in 48 games between the two levels. He's still considered a shortstop even though many scouts believe he'll eventually move to third base at some point in his MLB career, which certainly puts Rollins' job in jeopardy if he can't eventually turn around his offense. Even Rollins acknowledged the possibility.
"That's their future," Rollins said of Seager, via FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. "He's going to have 15-16-plus years to play, and I have much less than that.
"My job isn't to throw him off track - that's impossible. He's doing his thing. He's going to get his shot. My job is to help this team win at this very moment. I can't worry about the future.
"Eventually, it's going to be his spot. It's hard to use the word, 'inevitable' in sports, but that's the natural progression.
"You can't do anything about it. You could be hitting .400 and they could still bring this kid up because he's the long-term. You could hit .200 like I am now and still bring this kid up because he's the future."
The Dodgers already promoted center fielder Joc Pederson at the beginning of the season and he'll continue to take playing time away from veteran Andre Ethier, who is owed over $40 million over the next three seasons, once Yasiel Puig and Carl Crawford return from the disabled list. President of baseball operations is not afraid to usher in a new era and replace underperforming veterans, which means Rollins job is by no means safe.
"The Dodgers do not rule out promoting Seager at some point this season, according to major-league sources. But Rollins, at the very least, remains an above-average defender," Rosenthal added. "For now, the Dodgers want Seager to continue his development and sustain success at Triple-A."
"The Dodgers have the perfect bridge to allow Seager another year to develop in the minors, most likely at Triple-A Oklahoma City, before bringing him up to Los Angeles full time," Baseball America wrote in Seager's scouting report prior to the season. "He's a star in the making who should hit in the middle of the lineup and become one of the best players in baseball in the near future."
While the Dodgers have the necessary players to fill in while Seager gets his reps in the minors, the youngster may make it hard on the team's decision makers, just like Pederson did last year. Pederson earned a September promotion even with the Dodgers' outfield logjam because his .303/.435/.582 stat line with 106 runs scored, 33 home runs, 78 RBIs and 30 stolen bases in Triple-A was too impressive to not call up. Pederson earned the starting job in center field this year after a successful spring training.
More importantly, Rollins is fine with showing Seager the ropes in the event the Dodgers decide to add him to the roster.
"If Seager is called up from triple-A Oklahoma City, Rollins said he would help him the way Desi Relaford did for him when he was first called up by the Phillies in 2000. Rollins replaced Relaford as the team's starting shortstop in the final two weeks of the season," writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
The club probably wants Seager to get in more of a rhythm at Triple-A and prove he can keep his numbers up facing a variety of pitchers multiple times, but his promotion is not far off at all.
