Who Is the Better MLB Player: Kyle Seager or His Brother Corey?
Baseball is a family affair. Go to any game and you’re sure to see the stands packed with fathers, mothers, daughters, and sons as they take in the action. Of course, some families actually make their way onto the field.
One of the most prominent ones right now is the Seager brothers, Kyle and Corey Seager. Not only are they killing it at the major league level, but they also have a brother, Justin, playing in the minors. So which one is better, Kyle or Corey? Let’s take a closer look at their story and find out.
How the Seager brothers’ baseball story began
According to an ESPN profile, the Seager brothers grew up in Kannapolis, North Carolina, right outside of Charlotte. Their parents, Jeff and Jody Seager, had each of the three brothers six and a half years apart from youngest to oldest.
Their parents Jeff and Jody raised the trio to place just as much importance on their schoolwork as their work on the baseball diamond. All three played basketball as well as baseball. Kyle even had the unenviable task of covering Steph Curry in one of his high school basketball games.
Cory told ESPN that the ability to think of life outside of baseball was critical in all three boys’ development:
“I do think it’s valuable…You get away from baseball and get that desire back. If you play one sport your whole life, you can get tired of it. Basketball was a fun sport that got us in shape and helped us kind of regroup.”
The Seager Brothers’ path to MLB
Kyle, the oldest, was the first to make the majors. The Seattle Mariners drafted him in the third round of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft, and he made his debut in 2011 at the age of 23.
Next was Corey, who the Los Angeles Dodgers drafted in the first round of the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft. He made his debut in 2015. Youngest brother Justin played college baseball for UNC-Charlotte and has yet to play in an MLB game. He’s in the Seattle system, however, after the team drafted him in the 12th round of the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft.
When asked about how the brothers’ journeys to “The Show” have compared to each other, Kyle told MLB.com that each brother is different:
“Everybody is on their own plane. Comparing me or Justin or anybody to Corey is pretty tough. Corey’s on his own program. He has obviously been accelerated, and he obviously has shown he deserves that. He got a callup at the age [Justin and I] were still in college. That’s pretty special.”
The Dodgers made Corey the youngest Seager callup (he was 21 when they did).
Who is the better Seager brother, Kyle or Corey?
One of the biggest moments for the Seager family came in 2018, when the Dodgers and Mariners played in a rare interleague contest. This pitted Kyle and Corey against each other, while Justin could only watch from the Mariners’ minor league system.
This is a difficult spot for any parent to be in, but the Seager clan made the best of it: the Mariners’ official Twitter account caught Jody wearing a split jersey so she could back both of her sons.
Right now, Kyle remains one of the most dependable hitting third basemen in all of baseball. He’s hit over 20 home runs every season since 2012. After missing most of 2018 due to injury, Corey rebounded with a strong 2019 in which he hit 19 home runs and had 87 RBI. Justin continues to work through the Mariners’ system, where at the age of 25 he’s in at Double-A.
So who’s the better player, Kyle or Corey? One look at their respective Wins Above Replacement (WAR) level may tell the story.
Kyle’s is 32.5 after nine years of MLB service. Corey’s is 15.7 after only five. Throw in multiple All-Star appearances and the fact that he was called up super young at 21, and it appears that Corey’s the best player — though they’re both solid contributors.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference
