Rangers shortstop Corey Seager entered rare air Wednesday evening as he held the World Series MVP award aloft for the second time. The four-time All-Star became the fourth player to win that award twice, joining three Hall of Famers in pitcher Bob Gibson, right fielder Reggie Jackson and pitcher Sandy Koufax.
Though he has a ways to go—Seager will be just 29 on Opening Day 2024—a Cooperstown plaque down the line does not seem out of the question. On First Take Thursday morning, veteran ESPN analyst Tim Kurkjian went even further.
“He’s one of the greatest postseason players that we’ve ever seen,” Kurkjian said. “He’s got more World Series home runs now than Reggie Jackson, and Derek Jeter’s the only shortstop with more career homers in the postseason. … This was ridiculous, how good Corey Seager was this year.”
.@Kurkjian_ESPN reacts to Corey Seager winning his second World Series MVP before turning 30:
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 2, 2023
"He's one of the greatest postseason players that we've ever seen." pic.twitter.com/xNx2oKpjvz
Seager was dynamite in the regular season, slashing .327/.390/.623 with 33 home runs and 96 RBIs. In the playoffs, he starred with a .318 batting average, six home runs and 12 RBIs over a 17-game span.
The result: Texas beat the Diamondbacks in five games for its first World Series title.
“Those three homers he hit in the World Series, all of them came at absolutely critical times—Games 1, 3 and 4,” Kurkjian said. “He is the biggest reason that [the Rangers] won the World Series.”
