Tagged: Kyle Seager

Seager vs. Cancer

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Mariners All-Star third baseman Kyle Seager is involved in a unique online pledge campaign to benefit pediatric cancer research. He’s working with Vs. Cancer. People can go online and pledge an amount for every hit Kyle gets this season.

Join Seager as he steps up to the plate vs. childhood cancer this spring! By pledging a donation towards every hit that he records during the 2015 season, you can help the Seagers support the Vs. Cancer Foundation.

The Seagers are matching the first 100 people to pledge, doubling the effort to help kids beat cancer in Seattle and across the country!

You can learn more about the Seager’s quest to help cure childhood cancer by visiting Seagervscancer.org.

Kyle Seager’s Big Day

Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager had a big day at Safeco Field, signing his long-term contract (through 2021 season with option for 2022) and holding a news conference with the local media. Here are some media interviews and articles on the day, as well as some photos.

And the video highlights from the news conference and his day at Safeco Field:

And some photos from throughout the day.

Mariners Sign Kyle Seager to Long-Term Contract

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Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jack Zduriencik announced today the club has signed third baseman Kyle Seager to a 7-year contract through the 2021 season with a club option for the 2022 season. Per club policy, terms of the contracts were not disclosed.

“This is a great day for the Seattle Mariners, our fans and the Seager family. As one of our homegrown players it is nice to know that he will remain with us for at least seven more seasons,” said Zduriencik. “Kyle has taken a step forward each season since joining the organization in 2009, and has turned into one of the premier third baseman in the game. He has exhibited class both on and off the field and is someone we are all extremely proud of. We are very pleased to announce this joint commitment by the Seattle Mariners and Kyle Seager as we strive toward our goal of winning a World Championship.”

Seager, 27, is coming off a career season in 2014 after batting .268 (158×590) with 27 doubles, 4 triples, 25 home runs and 96 RBI in 159 games. He was selected to play in his first All-Star game and was the American League Gold Glove® winner at third base.

“I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity that the Seattle Mariners have given me,” said Seager. “This is an amazing honor for me and my family to remain with such a great organization for the foreseeable future.”

The North Carolina native led the team in home runs (25), RBI (96) and extra-base hits (56) last season, becoming the first Mariners player since Raul Ibañez (2005-2008) to record 20 or more home runs in at least 3 consecutive seasons. Seager hit 20 homers in 2012, 22 in 2013 and 25 last season. He joins Ken Griffey Jr. and Jim Presley as the only Mariners players with 20 or more homers in three of the first four seasons of a career.

Since his first full Major League season in 2012, Seager has averaged over 30 doubles, 50 extra-base hits, 20 home runs and 80 RBI a season. During this three-year span he combined to bat .262 (472×1799) with 94 doubles, 67 home runs and 251 RBI in 474 games. Seager’s 168 extra-base hits and 251 RBI ranked 2nd-most among third baseman, and 67 home runs are tied for 4th-most over the last three seasons.

Seager has been a mainstay in the lineup and at third base appearing in 520 of the Mariners last 540 games (since 8/2/11). He ended the 2014 season appearing in 126 consecutive games, the 6th-longest active “Iron Man” streak in MLB. In 157 games at third base last season he recorded the highest fielding percentage at .981 (8 E, 422 TC), the 10th-best mark by an AL third baseman dating back to 1948.

Seager made his Major League debut as a 23-year-old on July 7, 2011. He had a rapid rise through the Mariners organization after being selected in the 3rd round of the 2009 June Draft out of the University of North Carolina. In his first full professional season with High Desert in 2010, Seager batted .345 (192×557) in 135 games and led the minor leagues in hits and runs scored (126).

Inside the Numbers – Seager’s Defensive Index Rating

SABR

Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager was announced as the Rawlings® Gold Glove winner amongst American League third baseman on Tuesday. While we don’t have final vote counts, we did find out some interesting statistical information today when the SABR Defensive Index final ratings were released for the 2014 season.

SDI

Kyle had the 3rd-best SDI in the American League at 17.9, trailing only Oakland’s Josh Donaldson (21.2) and Kansas City’s Alex Gordon (19.9). It is interesting that Seager trailed Donaldson, also a third baseman, which means Kyle likely overwhelmingly won the vote amongst American League coaches and managers. Seager also all Major League third basemen with a .981 fielding percentage.

For the second consecutive season, the SDI was used to help select the winners of the Rawlings® Gold Glove Award. The SABR Defensive Index accounts for 30 total “votes” — or approximately 25 percent of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award selection process — which are added to the votes from the managers and coaches in each respective league.

Here is a description of the SDI:

The SABR Defensive Index draws on and aggregates two types of existing defensive metrics: those derived from batted ball location-based data and those collected from play-by-play accounts. The three metrics representing batted ball data include Defensive Runs Saved from Baseball Info Solutions, Ultimate Zone Rating developed by noted sabermetrician Mitchel Lichtman, and Runs Effectively Defended based on STATS Zone Rating and built by SABR Defensive Committee member Chris Dial. The two metrics included in the SDI originating from play-by-play data are Defensive Regression Analysis, created by committee member Michael Humphreys, and Total Zone Rating.

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Vote for Kyle Seager for the 2014 Heart and Hustle Award

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The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association’s Heart & Hustle Award is presented annually to a player who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game. Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager is a finalist for the 2014 award.

Fans can put in their vote via MLBPAA.com.

Voting ends at 8:59 p.m. PT on Saturday, Nov. 8, so be sure to get your vote in by this weekend. Fan voting comprises 5 percent of the total voting for the final award winner. All Alumni and active Major League players also vote for the winner.

The Heart & Hustle Award will be presented on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at the 15th Annual Legends for Youth Dinner at Capitale in New York City.

Kyle Seager Wins Gold Glove at Third Base

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Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager has been selected as the winner of the 2014 Rawlings® American League Gold Glove, announced tonight by the Rawlings Sporting Goods Company and Major League Baseball.

Seager was one of three finalists for the American League Gold Glove at third base with Josh Donaldson (Oakland) and Adrian Beltre (TEX). Fellow Mariners Robinson Cano (2B) and Felix Hernandez (P) were also finalists at their position but did not win.

Seager, who turned 27 yesterday, had the highest fielding percentage amongst qualifying Major League third basemen in 2014 at .981 (8 E, 422 TC), the 10th-best mark by an AL third baseman dating back to 1948.

“It is an honor to just be up for the award with all the great third basemen, let alone win the Gold Glove,” said Seager. “I really owe a lot to my coaches, especially Chris Woodward. He helped me tremendously.”

He made 157 starts at the hot corner, trailing only Miami’s Casey McGehee (158) and ranked 2nd in the Majors in assists (327), double plays (36) and innings played (1402.0). The Fielding Bible also showed that Seager led all Major League third basemen in good throws to first with a 96.6-percent “good throw” rate and he led the AL at his position with a plus-24 rating in runs saved via Baseball-Reference.com.

Seager becomes the first Mariners player to earn a Gold Glove since Ichiro and Franklin Gutierrez in 2010. The Mariners had at least one Gold Glove winner in 24 consecutive seasons from 1987-2010. Seager is the second third baseman in club history to win a Gold Glove, joining Adrian Beltre (2x, 2007-2008).

Seager is now part of the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award fan vote on www.Rawlings.com, which will last one day ending at 5 p.m. PT tomorrow.

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The Rawlings® Gold Glove Award is presented annually to 18 players, one for each position, in both the American and National Leagues. The selection process is based approximately via 75% votes by manager and coaches (up to 7 per team, can’t vote for players on own team) and 25% based on the SABR Defensive Index (statistical based). Here’s a look at the complete AL and NL winners:

American League
Pos. Name Team # Gold Gloves
P Dallas Keuchel Houston 1
C Salvador Perez Kansas City 2
1B Eric Hosmer Kansas City 2
2B Dustin Pedroia Boston 4
3B Kyle Seager Seattle 1
SS J.J. Hardy Baltimore 3
LF Alex Gordon Kansas City 4
CF Adam Jones Baltimore 4
RF Nick Markakis Baltimore 2

National League
Pos. Name Team # Gold Gloves
P Zack Greinke Los Angeles 1
C Yadier Molina St. Louis 7
1B Adrian Gonzalez Los Angeles 4
2B DJ LeMahieu Colorado 1
3B Nolan Arenado Colorado 2
SS Andrelton Simmons Atlanta 2
LF Christian Yelich Miami 1
CF Juan Lagares New York 1
RF Jason Heyward Atlanta 2

Mariners All-Time Gold Glove winners:

1987 – Mark Langston, LHP
1988 – Mark Langston, LHP
Harold Reynolds, 2B
1989 – Harold Reynolds, 2B
1990 – Ken Griffey Jr., OF
Harold Reynolds, 2B
1991 – Ken Griffey Jr., OF
1992 – Ken Griffey Jr., OF
1993 – Ken Griffey Jr., OF
Omar Vizquel, SS
1994 – Ken Griffey Jr., OF
1995 – Ken Griffey Jr., OF
1996 – Jay Buhner, OF
Ken Griffey Jr., OF
1997 – Ken Griffey Jr., OF
1998 – Ken Griffey Jr., OF
1999 – Ken Griffey Jr., OF
2000 – John Olerud, 1B
2001 – Mike Cameron, OF
Ichiro Suzuki, OF
2002 – Bret Boone, 2B
John Olerud, 1B
Ichiro Suzuki, OF
2003 – Bret Boone, 2B
Mike Cameron, OF
John Olerud, 1B
Ichiro Suzuki, OF
2004 – Bret Boone, 2B
Ichiro Suzuki, OF
2005 – Ichiro Suzuki, OF
2006 – Ichiro Suzuki, OF
2007 – Ichiro Suzuki, OF
Adrian Beltre, 3B
2008 – Ichiro Suzuki, OF
Adrian Beltre, 3B
2009 – Ichiro Suzuki, OF
2010 – Ichiro Suzuki, OF
Franklin Gutierrez, OF
2014 – Kyle Seager, 3B

Kyle Seager – On the Rise

 

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Kyle Seager has quickly made a name for himself after only three full Major League seasons. Here is a look at Kyle’s career stats, be sure to pay attention to the steady rise of his home run and RBI totals over the last few seasons:

Seager_Stats

In 2014, Seager was a first-time All-Star while leading the team in home runs (25), RBI (96) and extra-base hits (56). He became the first Mariners player since Raul Ibañez (2005-2008) to record 20+ HR in at least 3 consecutive seasons and joins Ken Griffey Jr. and Jim Presley as the only Mariners players with 20+ HR in 3 of first 4 MLB seasons (20 in ‘12, 22 in ‘13). Additionally, he became the first Mariners player with a 25 HR, 95 RBI season since Jose Lopez in 2009.

In addition to his solid performance at the plate, Seager has turned into one of the best third basemen in MLB. Kyle led all players at the hot corner with a .981 fielding percentage, the best single-season fielding percentage by a third baseman in club history (Jeff Cirillo, .973 in 2002), and the 10th-best in American League history since 1948. He was rewarded by being named one of three Rawlings® Gold Glove American League Finalists (winner to be announced Nov. 4 on ESPN2).

Kyle, Felix, Robinson Named Gold Glove Finalists

Gold Glove

Three finalists at each position in the American League and National League were announced today for the prestigious Rawlings® Gold Glove.

Mariners Kyle Seager (3B), Robinson Cano (2B) and Felix Hernandez (P) were among the three players at their respective positions to be named finalists. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, November 4 at 4 pm PT on Baseball Tonight on ESPN2.

The Rawlings® Gold Glove selection process is based approximately via 75% votes by manager and coaches (up to 7 per team, can’t vote for players on own team) and 25% based on the SABR Defensive Index (statistical based).

The Mariners have not had a Gold Glove winner since Ichiro and Franklin Gutierrez in 2010. Seattle had at least one winner 24 consecutive seasons from 1987-2010.

2014 Mariners Award Winners

Prior to Friday’s Fan Appreciation Game, several players were recognized for their outstanding accomplishments during the 2014 season. Here are some photos of the players that were honored tonight:

Felix Hernandez was named the Mariners Most Valuable Pitcher by the Seattle chapter of the BBWAA.

Felix Hernandez was named the Mariners Most Valuable Pitcher by the Seattle chapter of the BBWAA.

Robinson Cano was named the Most Valuable Player by the Seattle chapter of the BBWAA.

Robinson Cano was named the Most Valuable Player by the Seattle chapter of the BBWAA.

Chris Young was named the Unsung Hero.

Chris Young was named the Unsung Hero.

Fernando Rodney was presented with a Fireman's Hat for setting the Mariners single-season saves record.

Fernando Rodney was presented with a Fireman’s Hat for setting the Mariners single-season saves record.

Kyle Seager was presented the MLBPAA Heart and Hustle Award.

Kyle Seager was presented the MLBPAA Heart and Hustle Award.

Felix Hernandez was honored as the Mariners recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award.

Felix Hernandez was honored as the Mariners recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award.

Gold Glove Candidate – Kyle Seager

Kyle Seager has been the 2nd-best defensive player in the American League in 2014.

Kyle Seager has been the 2nd-best defensive player in the American League in 2014.

We’ve all seen Kyle Seager turn into one of the offensive leaders of this Mariners club, but Manager Lloyd McClendon wants to make sure people do not ignore his glove work at the hot corner.

“He’s been great offensively,” McClendon said, “but I’ve been saying all year he should seriously be considered for a Gold Glove as well. What he does on the other side of the ball is just as important.”

The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) has taken notice as well and has been able to quantify his stellar work on the defensive end. The SABR Defensive Index is used to help select the winners of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award® and Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™, presented by SABR.

According to the Index, Seager’s defense ranks not just second amongst American League third basemen, he ranks as the second-best defensive player in the American League.

To read more about the SABR Defensive Index, visit SABR Defensive Index rankings released through September 7, 2014.

Here’s a look at the top defensive players in the American League:

Defense Chart