Corey Seager is in the midst of a career-defining struggle, and it's a tough watch for Texas Rangers fans. The two-time World Series MVP shortstop hasn't recorded a hit in seven straight games, an 0-for-27 slump that marks the longest hitless stretch of his big-league career. To make matters worse, 11 of those at-bats have ended in strikeouts.
"You're obviously still working on things and you'd like to see some better results, but you're not getting them," Seager said after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Wednesday night's wild 6-5 comeback win over Arizona.
Despite the struggles, the 32-year-old has started 42 of the Rangers' 43 games this season, including 24 consecutive contests since his only day off on April 16. He insists his body feels "completely fine," even as his bat goes cold.
"It's one of those things that you're going to figure it out out there," Seager said. "It's always been like my focus—you're going to figure it out swinging. So right now, I want to keep going out there and trying to figure it out."
The Rangers enjoyed a day off Thursday, but the numbers don't offer much relief. Seager's .179 batting average ranks 167th out of 174 qualified MLB hitters. In the fifth season of a blockbuster $325 million, 10-year deal, he has managed just 28 hits and 22 walks against 50 strikeouts—a 27.5% strikeout rate across 182 plate appearances. He does have seven home runs and 20 RBIs, but consistency has been elusive.
His last hit came on May 6, an RBI single in the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. Seager also launched a solo homer in the first inning of that 6-1 win over New York, but strikeouts in his final two at-bats kicked off this painful drought. Over his last 16 games, he's hitting just .098 (6-for-61) with 23 strikeouts.
This marks the latest point in any of Seager's 12 seasons that his average has dipped below .200. A lifetime .285 hitter over 1,173 games and 4,500 at-bats, he never finished a game under that mark in eight of those seasons—including three times when he went 1-for-5 on Opening Day before bouncing back with multi-hit performances in Game 2.
"Corey still feels good to go," said first-year Rangers manager Skip Schumaker. "I like him in the lineup. So I'm going to continue putting him there if his body feels good and his mind is right."
For a player of Seager's caliber, this slump is as surprising as it is challenging. But with his track record and determination, it's only a matter of time before he finds his swing again.