UNC Baseball Season In Review: Kyle Seager

In what could possibly be his final season as a Seattle Mariner, former UNC baseball standout Kyle Seager showed he still has a lot left in the tank.

Over the final few weeks of the 2021 Major League Baseball season, one of the major storylines surrounded the Seattle Mariners.

Before the season began, many expected the Mariners, who have been in the process of rebuilding and have a ton of young talent throughout their organization, to once again have a season in which they continued to improve but not be quite ready to compete. However, the Mariners showed the world that their rebuild was a bit ahead of schedule, making a crazy last-minute push to earn an American League Wild Card bid.

Unfortunately, the Mariners fell just short, as they were mathematically eliminated on the final day of the regular season. Although their playoff hopes did not come to fruition, there was a lot of positives for the organization to take from this season.

For starters, the club won 90 games overall, a feat that they have not accomplished since 2003. Additionally, the organization got some great contributions from some of their young talent, which could definitely indicate that the future seems very bright in Seattle. And even though the organization is focused on its youth, it was one of their long-term veterans that continued to serve as the face of the franchise.

In his 11th season with the Mariners, former UNC baseball standout Kyle Seager showed why he has been so valuable to the franchise. Not only is he still a quality big league player, but he’s a great leader to help mold the team’s future stars.

Offensively, Seager had one of his best years of production in quite some time. Over 159 games played, the former Tar Heel set career-highs in home runs (35) and RBIs (101).

In terms of defense, the 33-year-old did have some struggles at the hot corner. The former Tar Heel committed 14 errors, which tied for fourth-most among MLB third basemen. However, his DWAR (Defensive Wins Above Replacement) was .01, which means that he was just above league average at the position.

Of course, with the way the sport is going, it’s not very likely that many players will spend their entire career with one franchise. The Mariners will have an interesting decision to make on Seager, and it looks like a split between the two parties may be on the horizon.

The club holds a $20 million option on Seager’s services for 2022. That comes with a $2 million buyout, meaning it’ll be an $18 million decision for the front office this winter. Given the team’s plans and the fact that Seager is entering his age-34 season, the club may want to explore other options.

Nonetheless, regardless of what happens this offseason, the Mariners and their fans let Seager know just how much he’s meant to the organization during his time there. In what could very well be his final game at home with the franchise, Seager was taken out of the game to a huge ovation from his teammates and the Mariner faithful.

After the game, Seager’s teammates were asked about his impact on them. Shortstop J.P. Crawford, who is viewed as a potential future leader of the club, was emotional when asked about what Seager means to him.

Although his future is uncertain at the moment, the former UNC baseball standout proved this season that he still has a lot left in the tank. Given his offensive ability, plus what he brings leadership-wise to a clubhouse, expect Seager to have a lot of potential suitors if he does hit the free agent market in a few weeks.

Continue to follow the Keeping It Heel team for all the latest news and updates regarding Kyle Seager, and the rest of the UNC baseball program.