When it comes to second baseman, the Rangers Marcus Semien is number three on the MLB.com Top Ten list. When it comes to second baseman any Rangers fan would want on his team, there’s no question Semien is first.
He got off to a slow start in his first year as a Ranger, hitting just .157 in April of 2022 and sitting at .199 when June rolled around. He slowly and steady started to hit his way to a respectable average, hitting .287 in June and .268 in July.
But he hit the ground hitting in 2023, going 5-for-14 in his first three games and when it was all said and done, he was third in MVP voting, played every game but one, led the league in hits and runs scored, and drove in 100 runs.
Counting all the rounds of playoffs and the Worlds Series (which, if you are just returning back from Mars, the Rangers won), Semien had 835 plate appearances. That’s a workhorse if there ever was one.
There has, however, been a somewhat disturbing trend in Semien’s game of late. Every-other-year greatness. His second-to-last season in Oakland, he finished third in MVP voting, with an OPS+ of 139. He followed that up with a disappointing 202 in which his OPS+ fell all the way to 89.
He signed with Toronto for the 2021 season. Once again, finished third in MVP voting, racked up 102 RBIs, finished with an OPS+ of 132.
His first year as a Ranger, his OPS+ dropped to 106. Then he bounced back in 2023, finishing third again in MVP voting, with a 122 OPS+.
But the Rangers are in good hands with Marcus Semien at second, leading off, and being the spark plug of the offense. He may be third on the list of second baseman, but there’s no other second baseman I’d rather have on the Rangers.
Here’s the complete list:
SECOND BASEMEN
- Mookie Betts, LAD (Last year: No. 2 RF)
- Jose Altuve, HOU (1)
- Marcus Semien, TEX (4)
- Luis Arraez, MIA (NR)
- Ketel Marte, AZ (8)
- Matt McLain, CIN (NR)
- Andrés Giménez, CLE (3)
- Edouard Julien, MIN (NR)
- Zack Gelof, OAK (NR)
- Nico Hoerner, CHC (NR)