Corey Seager is the Next Big Thing for the Dodgers. Or could be. He has been talked about for a few years now … pretty much as soon as the Dodgers made him the 18th pick in the 2012 draft and gave him a $2.5 million signing bonus.

The Dodgers would seem to suggest they believe the tall, 21-year-old shortstop is going to be someone who has a significant career … and they demonstrated it by giving him No. 5.

Typically, when a kid makes a major-league debut, he gets some random number in the 20-and-up range. And maybe in the 40-and-up range, if he is a pitcher.

Baseball fans pretty much expect a No. 5 to be a real player. Single digits, and all.

No. 5 is the lowest number you can wear, on the Dodgers, aside from No 3. Nos. 1 (Peewee Reese), 2 (Tommy Lasorda) and 4 (Duke Snider) are retired.

Turns out, though, that 5 is not a particularly distinguished number, in Dodgers history.

According to the Baseball Reference site, Seager is the 35th man to wear 5 for the Dodgers, but the third this year, after Juan Uribe and Alberto Callaspo. The latter was released a week before Seager took over the number.

Digging into my own memory, after Seager took over the number, I could associate only one No. 5 with the Dodgers — Jim Lefebvre, who wore if from 1965 (when he was rookie of the year) through 1972.

Other semi-prominent wearers of Dodgers No. 5, those who lasted more than a few years, anyway, were Mike Marshall, in the 1980s, and Cookie Lavagetto, before and after World War II.

Lavagetto was a solid player, and Mike Marshall, sometimes remembered as “General Soreness” and deemed a bit soft, had his moments.

A few other good players wore 5, on a short-term basis, including Nomar Garciaparra and Gary Sheffield, but we’re pretty much done unless you like Ken McMullen and Jose Vizcaino and Johnny Oates, et al.

The most significant No. 5 active in baseball would be Albert Pujols, followed by Carlos Gonzalez and David Wright.

All-time, the most prominent Nos. 5 include Joe DiMaggio, George Brett, Johnny Bench, Jeff Bagwell, Hank Greenberg, Lou Boudreau, Luke Appling and Brooks Robinson.

I listed Brooks Robinson last, but he ranks higher than that. It is because of him that I have a sort of thing for the No. 5.

I was a fan of his from 1966 forward, the year when he sucked up every ball near him as the Baltimore Orioles swept the Dodgers in the World Series.

I liked him because he didn’t look like a super-athletic guy; he was someone I could relate to, then. And when we played over-the-line at the playground, I was a better fielder than hitter. Just like Brooks.

When I played high school baseball, I asked for and got No. 5 my junior and senior years. And I consider it a lucky number. For me, anyway. Can’t tell you what other cultures think.

So, Corey Seager, the new No. 5. If your first two weeks in the majors is any indication, you will do 5 proud.