It’s Time To Call Up Corey Seager

How long are the Dodgers going to continue to go with Jimmy Rollins? I would like to know, because I am getting sick of watching his horrendous at-bats every game. All Dodger fans have been watching Rollins struggling offensively since the season started, and the Dodgers have 21-year old super prospect Corey Seager waiting seemingly forever in the wings at Oklahoma City. Rollins is slashing an awful .202/.261/.333 in 2015 for the Dodgers. He has almost as many hits (49) as he does whiffs (44). He has without question been putrid at the plate.

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Did the Dodgers acquire Rollins to just fill the position, or to help mentor and transition Seager into the majors? There is a difference. Seager batted .375 with an OPS of over 1.000 in 20 games at Double-A Tulsa before the Dodgers promoted him to Oklahoma City this year. At OKC, Seager is batting .293/.344/.443 with four home runs in 43 games. He’s played 38 games at shortstop and has a range factor of 4.28. He’s committed just five errors at the position. The kid is ready to come up. What’s the wait?

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I was talking to a friend of mine the other night about Rollin’s struggles. He’s a former college Baseball player who was drafted and played in the low minors briefly. He was a shortstop as well, and then moved on to coaching at various semi-professional and amateur levels. The topic of discussion turned to Seager, and Rollins, and what the Dodgers should do. He made a great point about Rollins trying to pull everything and bailing his hips out on every pitch. He asked when the last time Rollins got a hit to left field. I couldn’t answer the question because I honestly don’t remember the last time he did.

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I don’t disagree with him, however my opinion is different. I don’t think Rollins has the bat speed anymore to catch up to anything. If you throw him a high fastball, do you think he’ll be late on it? Look, I like Rollins. He’s a nice guy, and has had a very long and successful career with the Phillies. He’s a former MVP, World Series Champion, and he has been a good player for many years. He’s just cooked now. At 36 years old he’s done. I don’t see the guy improving with the bat anytime soon. He’s not just suddenly going to lift his average by 50 points.

Right now the Dodgers need offense. The hitting has been pathetic for over a month. The Dodgers have scored 2 runs or less in 21 games since May 1. A big reason why is because Automatic outs like Jimmy Rollins have been stinking up the lineup for weeks. You can’t have auto outs in your lineup and expect to score runs. When your seventh, eighth, and ninth hitters are Rollins, Callaspo, pitcher, you’re not scoring.

So what do you do with Rollins? You call up Corey Seager, put Rollins on the bench, and use Callaspo’s roster spot for Seager. That way if something happens and Seager struggles in his first MLB stint, then you still have Rollins to fill in for him. In addition Rollins can mentor the youngster and show him the ropes. Why else would Rollins be here? He can’t hit anymore, and he’s not that good defensively to justify his non-existent bat.

Even if Seager struggles he can’t possibly be any worse than Rollins has been. If Seager bats .200 and plays solid defense, then there is no difference. At least with Seager there is upside and youth, and he will eventually improve. Otherwise you’re just playing a 36-year old auto out that’s hitting below the Mendoza line every day. May as well bring back Carlos Triunfel in that case.

Rollins is a good guy, but another Friedman failure. It’s time to make the move.