The biggest surprise of the 2022 season isn’t Marcus Semien’s continued struggles. After last night’s 0-for-4, Semien is now hitting .171, with an anemic .461 OPS.

Six weeks into the season, he is still lost at the plate. 

Here’s a guy who had 45 home runs last year and drove in 102 runs. This year, he has zero home runs and just 8 RBIs. This isn’t a cold start. This is Antarctic.

But is his lack of production really surprising? Maybe this is a pattern Semien is falling into.

He had a monster year in 2019, finishing third in A.L. M.V.P. voting, putting up an OPS of .892, and finally turning that proverbial corner on offense.

Then came 2020. Yes it was a short season but it was a very mediocre season for Semien. His average fell from .285 to .223, his OBP from .369 to .305, and his OPS+ from 139 in 2019 to 89 in 2020. 

Then, 2021 happened. He rebounded in a huge way, finishing third in the M.V.P. voting, putting up an OPS+ of 131.

Now, it’s back to an even year, and he is back to having a down year. Down is putting it nice.

So, maybe his production isn’t such a surprise. Maybe this is every-other-year Marcus.

But Martin Perez’s is certainly a shock. He has turned himself into the ace of the Rangers rotation.

Those words have never been uttered in human history, and they bear repeating. Martin Perez is the ace of the Ranger rotation.

He tossed another masterful game last night, allowing just one earned run in six-and-one-third innings to lower his ERA to 2.10. It was his first win of the year, and his first win in twenty-five appearances.

As disappointing as Semien has been, Perez has been the opposite.

Martin Perez is the ace of the Rangers rotation.

Nothing makes sense anymore.

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