Okay, maybe I missed the memo that equates power to hitting home runs and nothing but home runs. But, *ANYONE* contending Seager has "no power" is not looking at the numbers.
Even if you want to ignore his monster double totals from his college day ...
Career minors slugging = .474 (1245 PA)
AAA slugging = .585 (117 PA)
AAA ISO = 198 (8-2B, 3-HR)
2011 xbh line = 40/3/9 (all levels)
Seager has hit 7 doubles in 116 PAs. That is a 40 doubles pace *IN THE MAJORS*, as a rookie. He was running a 7:10 eye ratio in the minors, which at the moment is 3:9. He still has room to get better - (a lot of room).
But, already he is posting a 130 ISO in his first hundred PAs. He's not running an 80 (like Saunders did), or a 60 (like Ichiro), or 60 (like Figgins) or 80 (like Ryan).
Trayvon has a 150 ISO at the moment, (but a 1:6 eye).
Seager has a resume that suggests, if he pans out, he could some day lead the majors in doubles without playing his home games in Fenway.
All of that is BEFORE any potential mid-career power growth. Seager shares some marked similarities to Ackley (and they had the same coaches in college), and Carp. One could make the mistake of dismissing his 40 doubles at High Desert. But, after a 160 ISO in 2009 and then in 2010 at HD, and a 140 ISO at Jackson, Seager improved at Tacoma and posted a 200 ISO in his first 100 PAs in AAA.
Like Carp, like Ackley, Seager is NOT a quick-twitch 'athlete' who is likely be as good as he'll ever be on day one and steadily get worse like Yuni or Lopez or Wlad or Saunders. Seager is adaptable. His template begins as a 40 double 10 HR guy with an upside of becoming the next Boone.
Me? I'd write off Wells and Trayvon both before dismissing Seager with a hand wave.
Okay, it's a small sample at AAA ... but honestly, what's the MLE for hitting 1000 in AAA at age 23? (not that a MLE is really applicable to guys like Carp or Seager)
I mean, honestly ... has the obsession with spending money and acquiring veterans gotten so extreme that we're willing to dismiss 23-year-olds who hit 1000 in AAA because they haven't hit 40 HRs in the show?
I mean ... my brain is melting in my head wondering if people would be MORE excited about Seager if he had continued hitting 1000 in AAA (to get his PAs up to 200), instead of hitting .750 in his first 100 MLB PAs.
But, what I really, really don't get. Why is it that after trading away Bedard and Fister, isn't there a massive drumbeat to go out and buy or trade for SPs?
Team ERA+ is under 100 at this point, while team OPS+ is rising steadily. Seager is currently hitting better than Smoak has in any of his MLB years. A team OPS+ of 100 isn't going to make the playoffs if pitching drops to 90.
The offense may not be in perfect shape for 2012. But, my concern is that the arms may actually be further away from contending level than the offense at this point.
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