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Dodgers' Corey Seager Wins 2016 NL Rookie of the Year Award

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager is collecting more hardware after winning a Silver Slugger Award

Time to add another trophy to the case. 

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager was unanimously voted the 2016 National League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writer's Association of America on Monday.

Seager joined a long line of Dodger greats to win the Rookie of the Year crown as he became the 17th player in franchise history to win the award. 

"It's awesome to bring the award back to LA," said Seager via conference call on Monday. "It's pretty cool to be connected with all the guys that came before you. It's very special to me."

The Dodgers lead the league with 17 Rookie of the Year Awards in their history, joining greats like Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe, Fernando Valenzuela, Mike Piazza, Raul Mondesi and Hideo Nomo. 

"It's a huge honor," Seager said to be nonimated for both awards. "We're looking forward to Thursday too. Obviously it's very special to be a part of that [MVP] as well."

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The last Dodger to win the award was Todd Hollandsworth in 1996, ending a 20-year drought for rookies who bleed blue. 

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Seager was among the NL leaders in almost every major offensive category this season. He batted (.308, 7th) this season and had 26 home runs, a Dodgers record for shortstops. He was second in the league in hits (193), fifth in runs scored (105), seventh in doubles (40) and second in multi-hit games (57). 

"I had a bunch of guys I shadowed in the clubhouse this season," Seager said of his success. "It wasn't just me trying to figure the game out, it was a lot of veterans in the clubhouse helping me."

Seager was drafted as the No. 18 overall pick in 2012 by the Dodgers and was the team's top prospect in the farm system over the past few years. Many teams coveted Seager in trades over the past four years, but the Dodgers front office often deemed him "untouchable," and now we know why. 

"To be honest, I never really heard the rumors," Seager said of always being in trade talks during his days in the minor leagues. "It was in the minor leagues, and you don't really know what's going on up top. I was playing and not thinking about it."

Seager also became the first player in franchise history to win a Silver Slugger Award at the position since its inception in 1980, and is just the fourth shortstop in NL history to win the Rookie of the Year prize. 

Seager still has the opportunity to join Fred Lynn and Ichiro Suzuki as the only two players in MLB history to win the Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player award in the same season. Lynn did it in 1975 and Suzuki in 2001.

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Chicago Cubs third baseman, Kris Bryant, is the favorite to win the MVP award this season and was the 2015 Rookie of the Year winner (also in unanimous) fashion.

Ironically, third base is the only position the Dodgers have not won a Rookie of the Year Award in their history. 

Seager received all 30 of the first place votes with Trea Turner of the Washington Nationals finishing second and another Dodger, Kenta Maeda, finishing third.

Willian Avila contributed to this report.

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