Oh, he’s not perfect. Sorry if that’s coming as something of a blow, but best to break the news early.

Corey Seager will not bat 1.000, and as it turns out, will not play his entire major league career without committing an error. A shock, I know. Must be difficult to comprehend.

Because let’s face it, the much-hyped Seager early on has actually lived up to his advance billing. And because he’s been the Dodgers’ top-rated prospect for a couple of years now and was the highest-rated player still in the minors at the time he was called up, that’s a lot of living up to.

Just remember, he’s played six games. That’s nothing. Less than a small sample size. Of course, in his six games he’s hit .381 with .458 on-base and .571 slugging percentages. He already has four doubles and four RBIs, so all those giddy at his arrival remain very much so.


But Tuesday night -- now hold on to your Baseball America -- he committed two errors in one inning against the Angels in Anaheim. Just dropped two balls.

“Both physical,” said Manager Don Mattingly. “Nothing that really seemed to affect him.”

Well, No. 2 did come pretty quickly after No. 1. But on the first one, he still demonstrated a certain veteran coolness. Erick Aybar, a reasonably quick runner, was charging down the first-base line. A lot of young shortstops, after regaining control of the ball, might have tried to rush the throw to first and possibly picked up a second error. Seager kept the ball and just ate the error.

The second miscue came on a ball hit into the hole between third and short. He tried to backhand the ball, and some scorers might have ruled it a hit.


No matter, there is a certain air about Seager that very much belies his 21 years. He carries himself like he belongs here. Not in a rooster-in-the-henhouse way, he just seems very comfortable in surroundings that would intimidate most young players.

I have a theory on that. When I took my oldest to kindergarten for his first day of school, I dropped him off at class and began walking away on the playground. Suddenly I heard my son, tears streaming down his face, running toward me yelling, “Daddy! Daddy!”

The next year I dropped my second son off to very same classroom for his first day of school and he jumped right in. Certain, he never turned to see me walk away. He was excited but school was something expected. He’d seen me drop his brother off at school the entire previous year. It was not some great unknown, something to dread. He felt at home.

Seager’s older brother, Kyle, is the starting third baseman for the Mariners, so he’s seen all this before. He’s known since the day the Dodgers took him with their first-round pick in 2012 that the majors were his destination.


So his time has come. He’s 6-foot-4 with broad shoulders and an easy-going way about him. Sure, he’s nervous, but he understands this is where he has always meant to be. Imperfections and all.