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Kyle Duerr Seager (born November 3, 1987) is an American former professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...
who played his entire career for the
Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
of
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) from 2011 to 2021. He was selected by the Mariners in the third round of the
2009 MLB draft The 2009 Major League Baseball draft was held June 9 to June 11 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. The drafting order is as follows: First-round selections Key Supplemental first-round selections From Baseball Americ ...
, and made his MLB debut in 2011. In 2014, Seager was an All Star and won a
Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awar ...
.


Early life and amateur career

Seager is the eldest of three sons born to Jeff and Jody Seager. His brother Corey was selected by the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
in the first round of the 2012 draft, while brother Justin was selected by the Mariners in 2013. He grew up a
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
fan and idolized
Derek Jeter Derek Sanderson Jeter ( ; born June 26, 1974), nicknamed "the Captain", is an American former professional baseball shortstop, businessman, and baseball executive. As a player, Jeter spent his entire 20-year Major League Baseball (MLB) caree ...
. Seager attended Northwest Cabarrus High School in
Kannapolis, North Carolina Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, Cabarrus and Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan Counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord, North Carolina, Concord and northeast of Charlotte, North Carolina, ...
, where he earned Co-North Carolina Player of the Year honors. He enrolled at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...
(UNC), where he played
college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...
for the
North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...
. With UNC, he had a career .353
batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
with 17
home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...
, 66 doubles and 167
runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...
(RBIs). In 2008, he set a school record for doubles in a season (30), was a semifinalist for the
Golden Spikes Award The Golden Spikes Award is bestowed annually to the best amateur baseball player in the United States. The award, created by USA Baseball and sponsored by the Major League Baseball Players Association, was first presented in 1978. It is given to ...
, and was named to the watch list for both the
Dick Howser Trophy The Dick Howser Trophy is bestowed annually to the national college baseball player of the year. The award is named after former collegiate and Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager Dick Howser, who died as the result of brain cancer on ...
and the
Brooks Wallace Award The Brooks Wallace Award is an award given by the College Baseball Foundation (CBF) to the best college baseball shortstop of the year. The award has been given annually since 2004. Until 2008 the award was presented to the nation's most outstand ...
. During the summers of 2007 and 2008, Seager played
collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...
for the
Chatham A's The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in ...
in the
Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...
.


Professional career


Minor leagues

The
Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
selected Seager in the third round, with the 82nd overall selection, of the
2009 MLB draft The 2009 Major League Baseball draft was held June 9 to June 11 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. The drafting order is as follows: First-round selections Key Supplemental first-round selections From Baseball Americ ...
. Seager spent the majority of the 2009 season with the Class-A
Clinton LumberKings The Clinton LumberKings are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Clinton, Iowa, and play their home games at NelsonCorp Field. From 1956 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest Leag ...
. He hit .275 with one home run and 22 RBIs. He also played one game with the
AZL Mariners The Arizona Complex League Mariners are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona. The team is com ...
and two with the Class-A Advanced
High Desert Mavericks The High Desert Mavericks were an American Minor League Baseball team in Adelanto, California, that played their home games at Heritage Field at Stater Bros. Stadium. They played in the Class A-Advanced California League. The franchise had eight d ...
. Seager spent the entire 2010 season with the High Desert Mavericks, batting .345 with 14 home runs and 74 RBIs. He was ranked by
Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...
as the ninth best prospect in the Mariners organization for 2011. He split the season between the Double-A
Jackson Generals The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (SL) as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1998–2006), Seattle Mari ...
, batting .312 with four home runs and 37 RBIs in 66 games, and the Triple-A
Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...
, where he hit .387 with three home runs and 17 RBIs in 24 games.


Seattle Mariners

On July 6, 2011, Seager had his contract purchased by the Mariners. He hit his first Major League home run on August 19, 2011, against the
Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...
at
Tropicana Field Tropicana Field (nicknamed "The Trop") is a domed multipurpose stadium located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. "The Trop" was the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season, 1998 to ...
, and finished the year with a .258 batting average, three home runs, and 13 RBIs in 53 games. In 2012, his first full MLB season, Seager hit .259 with 20 home runs and 86 RBIs in 155 games. On June 5, 2013, Seager hit a grand slam against the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
in the 14th inning. It was the first time in MLB history that a player hit a game-tying grand slam in extra innings. He finished 2013 with a .260 batting average, 22 home runs and 69 RBIs in 160 games. On April 23, 2014, Seager drove in five runs to avoid a sweep against the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
. He hit a two-run
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
in the seventh inning to cut the Astros lead to 3–2, and hit a walk-off three-run shot in the bottom of the ninth, allowing the Mariners to win 5–3. The first walk-off hit of his career, his performance earned him an April Co-Player of the Week Award, shared with José Abreu of the White Sox. On June 2, Seager went 4–4 with a double, two triples and a three-run home run against the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
. The first Mariner to accomplish the feat, he became the first MLB player with two triples and at least one double and homer in a game since Hal Breeden for the
Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...
in 1973. On June 15, he went 4–for-4 with two singles and two doubles and three RBIs. On July 7, he was named to his first
All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...
team as an injury replacement for
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
player Edwin Encarnación. He finished the 2014 season with a .268 batting average, 25 home runs and 96 RBIs in 159 games, and won a
Gold Glove award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awar ...
. On December 2, 2014, the Mariners finalized a seven-year, $100 million contract extension with Seager. In 2015, he hit .266 with 26 home runs and 74 RBIs in 161 games. On April 25, 2016, he hit his 100th career home run in a game against Houston. He finished 2016 with a .278 batting average, 30 home runs and 99 RBIs in 158 games and he and his brother, Corey, made history by becoming the first pair of brothers in major league history to each hit 25 or more homers in the same season. On defense, he led the major leagues in fielding errors, with 18. In 2017, he hit .249 with 27 home runs and 88 RBIs in 154 games, his sixth consecutive season with at least 20 home runs and at least 154 games played. On April 7, 2018, he reached 1,000 career hits against the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
. Seager continued his streak of seasons with 20 or more home runs and at least 154 games played, hitting 22 home runs with 78 RBIs in 155 games but hit a career-low .221 in the process. In 2019, during a spring training game, Seager sustained an injury to his left hand while attempting a diving play on a ball. He was diagnosed with a hand injury that required hand surgery, sidelining him for eight to 10 weeks. He missed 53 games before returning to the lineup in late May 2019. On August 13, 2019, in an 11-6 victory over the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
, Seager became the 11th Mariner to hit 3 home runs in a game and the first since 2010; the third home run was a ricochet off the glove of Goodrum when a teammate collided with him near the wall. In 106 games, Seager hit .239 with 23 home runs and 63 RBIs, extending his streak of consecutive seasons of 20 or more home runs to eight. On August 5, 2020, in a game against the
Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...
, Seager hit his 200th career home run. On August 17, Kyle faced his brother, the Dodgers
Corey Seager Corey Drew Seager (born April 27, 1994) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is often regarded as one of the best sh ...
, for the first time in an MLB game and both homered in the game, becoming the first pair of brothers to homer in the same game since César and Felipe Crespo did it on June 7, 2001. In 2020, Seager batted .241/.355/.433 with nine home runs and 40 RBIs and led the AL with 6 sacrifice flies. In 2021, Seager batted a career-low .212, but set career highs in home runs and RBIs, with 35 and 101, respectively. He also led all third basemen with 43 double plays. The Mariners declined Seager's option for 2022, and on December 29, 2021, Seager announced his retirement from baseball. Knowing back in
spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
that the Mariners were likely not going to pick up the option, Seager went into the 2021 season expecting it to be his last one. He felt that the fact that each year it became more onerous to prepare for the coming season, combined with his missing out on time with his growing family, signaled it was time to move on to the next phase of his life. During the following off-season, the Texas Rangers inquired if Seager would be interested in coming out of retirement to join up with his brother, Corey, who had signed with the team a few months earlier. Kyle Seager declined the offer, saying he was happy "doing chores at home".


Personal life

Seager and his wife, Julie, married in 2011. They have two daughters and a son. They reside in
Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury ( ) is a city in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. ...
.


See also

*
List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise The following is a list of former Major League Baseball (MLB) players who played in at least 10 MLB seasons and spent their entire MLB playing careers exclusively with one franchise. In most cases, this means the player only appeared with one te ...


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seager, Kyle 1987 births Living people Seattle Mariners players Major League Baseball third basemen North Carolina Tar Heels baseball players Chatham Anglers players Arizona League Mariners players Clinton LumberKings players High Desert Mavericks players Jackson Generals (Southern League) players Tacoma Rainiers players Baseball players from Charlotte, North Carolina Gold Glove Award winners American League All-Stars