Chris Young’s warm words for MVP Corey Seager after Game 5: “You and Marcus set the stage”
When the Texas Rangers inked Corey Seager to a ten-year, $325 million deal, it represented the largest contract in the team's 51 seasons of existence. Needless to say, the stage was set for Seager to do some special things.
Seager, a former NL Rookie of the Year, did not disappoint. After a regular season in which he slashed .327/.390/.623 with 33 home runs, 96 RBIs, and a league-best 42 doubles, it became clear to fans that Corey Seager was only just getting started.
In the 2023 World Series that saw Seager's Rangers pitted against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Seager went 6-for-24 with three home runs and six RBIs. The masterful performance was enough for Seager to win the 2023 World Series MVP honor.
"The crowd reaction with no commentary after Corey Seager's home run is ridiculous." - Baseball King
As the Texas Rangers celebrated their Game 5 win to clinch the Fal Classic, a special moment between Seager and ex-Ranger Chris Young was captured. Young, who serves as the team's current GM, told Seager that he and teammate Marcus Semien "set the stage."
""You and Marcus set the stage" This moment between Chris Young and Corey Seager is everything." - Michael Bier
In addition to Seager's World Series, second baseman Marcus Semien also played a massive role. Semien, who led the AL in both hits and runs during the regular season, hit 2 home runs and 8 RBIs during the World Series, including an insurance homer off of Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Paul Sewald in Game 5.
Young, a former pitcher, began his career with the Rangers in 2004 and made a career-high 31 starts for the team in 2005. After retiring from baseball after the 2017 season as a member of the Kansas City Royals, Young began working for MLB. Hired in May 2018 as the youngest-ever league executive, Young joined the Rangers as GM in late 2020 and was the architect of Corey Seager's contract.
Texas Rangers fans can get used to Corey Seager
It would be difficult for any Rangers fan to realistically have expected a better season from Seager, right up until the very end.
However, luckily for Rangers fans, Seager will be around until the early 2030s, leaving plenty of time for further heroics. To say that the four-time All-Star hit the ground running in his first season of many playing for the Rangers would be an understatement.