Fantasy Faceoff: Troy Tulowitzki vs. Corey Seager

by
Jim McIsaac / Getty

Houston Astros SS Carlos Correa is the clear No. 1 fantasy shortstop entering 2016. But there's an intriguing battle shaping up for the No. 2 option.

Can Tulowitzki find his groove for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2016? Can Seager maintain his incredible, yet brief, success to begin his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers?

The Case for Tulowitzki

Tulowitzki will also go down as one of - if not the best - hitting shortstops of his era. He has had six 20-home run seasons. He's no longer a threat on the base paths, but brings tremendous power at a position where such a quality is rare. Owners will notice only a slight decline in home runs as Tulowitzki moves from Coors Field in Colorado to Rogers Centre in Toronto.

The potential decline in home runs will be boosted by a full season in Toronto's dangerous lineup. The Blue Jays led baseball with 891 runs scored in 2015, over 150 more than the Rockies. The Jays' .797 OPS was also best in baseball, and Tulowitzki will benefit regardless of where in the order he hits.

The Case for Seager

Seager was a high-average hitter all across the minor leagues. He also routinely demonstrated an ability to get on base, regardless of which level he was in. His strikeout rates dropped since moving to Double-A in 2014, and they've stayed low as he's climbed the final two levels. His walk rate spiked at 12.4% in the major leagues.

Seager never demonstrated immense power or speed at any minor league level. He hit four home runs and stole two bases through 27 MLB games. He'll both score and drive in runs while hitting near the top of a Dodgers lineup which shouldn't be drastically worse than that of the Jays.

Key Stat

4,485: The number of career MLB plate appearances separating the two players. Tulowitzki enters his 10th major-league season with 4,598 plate appearances. At 31, he still has prime years left. Seager remains eligible as a rookie after compiling just 113 plate appearances last year.

Verdict

Side with the proven bat of Tulowitzki. Seager isn't immune to a demotion to Triple-A in the event of early struggles at the plate or in the field. Tulowitzki's poor performance in the second half of last season should rebound toward his career averages, while Seager's inflated .387 BABIP can only come down. He posted a BABIP of .298 through 464 plate appearances in Triple-A.

The Digest

theScore's 2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit

by theScore Staff
Bob Stanton / USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Fantasy baseball season is upon us - and theScore has you covered with the most comprehensive fantasy content offering available. Check back often, as we'll be updating our content offering daily until the season starts.

Positional Rankings

Where does each fantasy-relevant player rank? Look no further than theScore's position-by-position rankings, which include nearly 350 player projections for the upcoming season:

Team-by-Team Fantasy Projections

We provide fantasy projections from three well-respected sources - ZiPS, Steamer and Zeile Consensus - for key players on all 30 major-league teams:

AL East: Toronto | N.Y. Yankees | Baltimore | Tampa Bay | Boston

AL Central: Kansas City | Minnesota | Cleveland | Chicago WSox | Detroit

AL West: Texas | Houston | L.A. Angels | Seattle | Oakland

NL East: N.Y. Mets | Washington | Miami | Atlanta | Philadelphia

NL Central: St. Louis | Pittsburgh | Chicago Cubs | Milwaukee | Cincinnati

NL West: L.A. Dodgers | San Francisco | Arizona | San Diego | Colorado

Mock Drafts

Fretting over which player to pick? Our fantasy baseball experts offer a variety of mock drafts for your perusal (all drafts use 5x5 scoring format):

Fantasy Spotlight

Every major-league team has at least one player whose fantasy outlook is a major point of discussion. Here are some of 2016's most intriguing cases:

AL East: Chris Colabello (TOR) | Starlin Castro (NYY) | Alex Rodriguez (NYY) | Chris Davis (BAL) | Steven Souza (TB) | Brock Holt (BOS)

AL Central: Alex Gordon (KC) | Byung-ho Park (MIN) | Francisco Lindor (CLE) | Brett Lawrie (CHW) | Justin Upton (DET)

AL West: Mitch Moreland (TEX) | George Springer (HOU) | Yunel Escobar (LAA) | Adam Lind (SEA) | Danny Valencia (OAK)

NL East: Neil Walker (NYM) | Daniel Murphy (WAS) | Giancarlo Stanton (MIA) | Freddie Freeman (ATL) | Maikel Franco (PHI)

NL Central: Randal Grichuk (STL) | Gregory Polanco (PIT) | Kyle Schwarber (CHC) | Chris Carter (MIL) | Devin Mesoraco (CIN)

NL West: Corey Seager (LAD) | Denard Span (SF) | A.J. Pollock (ARI) | Alexei Ramirez (SD) | Carlos Gonzalez (COL)

Fantasy Faceoff

Faced with choosing between two terrific draft options? theScore helps fantasy players answer some of the most difficult 1-on-1 decisions they may face at draft time:

Winning Strategies

Hoping to end that lengthy fantasy championship drought? Looking to extend your title reign? Here are theScore's guides on how to find success in a variety of league types:

Must-Read Fantasy Baseball Lists

Every good draft kit has its share of handy lists - and this one is no exception. Check out theScore's collection of informative and entertaining list material:

  • Preseason Rookie Report
    (Andrew Potter takes a comprehensive look at the top rookies in each league for daily and season-long fantasy purposes.)

Fantasy Baseball Tips and Tricks

Don't even try to walk into your fantasy baseball draft without going through theScore's exhaustive list of fantasy strategy posts:

  • How to Smartly Spend Your FAAB
    (James Bisson examines how to use a season-long free-agent budget, targeting players in leagues which use the FAAB format.)
  • Building a Winner Through Trades
    (James Bisson looks at how fantasy owners can use savvy trading as an alternative - or complement - to scouring the waiver wire.)

Daily Fantasy Strategy

No draft kit would be complete without a handy guide for those looking to give daily fantasy baseball a try:

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