Texas Rangers: AL West foes already respecting Corey Seager

They don’t call this the Barry Bonds treatment for no reason. In Friday evening’s contest against the Los Angeles Angels, new Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager was intentionally walked with the bases loaded.

Yeah, you read that right, Corey Seager was intentionally walked with the bases loaded! It’s not something you see very often in a game, but if there’s any manager (Joe Maddon) that would risk making that manuever, it would be the Angels’ skipper. In fact, he did it against the Texas Rangers way back in 2008 when he was managing the Rays against Josh Hamilton.

Corey Seager was given Barry Bonds treatment in Friday night’s Texas Rangers game against the Angels

Seager was walked in the fourth inning and put the Rangers up two runs, 4-2. Texas would go on to score two more runs after the debacle, with Mitch Garver driving in one with a sacrifice fly and Marcus Semien scoring on a balk.

At the end of the frame, the Rangers found themselves leading 6-2. Of course, that lead wasn’t for long, as the Angels’ high-powered lineup came roaring back to finish the game with nine runs, winning 9-6.

In the end, Maddon’s risk paid off, securing the victory for his team, much as what happened when then-Diamondbacks skipper Buck Showalter walked Giants’ slugger Barry Bonds in 1998 with the bases loaded before winning the game after the next batter.

The best shortstop in the AL West plays for the Texas Rangers

But more than the final result, though, is the respect the Angels were showing to one of the AL West’s newest stars in Corey Seager. The shortstop is off to a fine start with his new ballclub in 2022, with an .861 OPS in 30 at-bats thus far. With Carlos Correa now out of the division, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call Seager the best shortstop in the AL West, and the Angels seemed to recognize that by giving him superstar treatment.

It’s not as if Garver, who was hitting behind Seager, is a slouch with the bat, either. The risk was evident by Maddon. But even if it paid off for the latter by winning the game, it’s clear that Corey Seager is a player teams have to respect. And that’s something the Texas Rangers haven’t had in quite some time.