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Oakland Athletics’ Season Review: Marcus Semien

By Justin Hickey

SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 27: Marcus Semien #10 of the Oakland Athletics rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on September 27, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 27: Marcus Semien #10 of the Oakland Athletics rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on September 27, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images) /
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We continue our season player reviews and today we focus on Marcus Semien. His continued growth on both offense and defense has turned him into an MVP candidate for the Oakland Athletics’.

Marcus Semien put together a career year on offense while providing gold-glove-caliber defense. It should earn him a nice raise in arbitration and will be a force in the Oakland Athletics’ lineup that continues to get better each year.

Semien came into the league with a decent bat but always struggled on defense at shortstop. The A’s traded for him and plugged him in as the everyday shortstop in 2015 and he would go on to commit 35 errors and become a liability on defense.

Ron Washington returned to the team for a brief coaching stint from 2015-16 and helped turn Semien into a formidable defensive player. In 2016 he brought his error total down to 21 and his fielding percentage raised from .947 to .971.

In 2018, Semien became a gold glove finalist and should do the same here in 2019, as he ultimately raised his fielding percentage yet again to .981 and only committed 12 errors. This was highlighted by many great plays in the field as he showed tremendous range and an above-average arm.

Semien emerged as an MVP candidate in 2019 and although he won’t win, he will garner some votes and should finish in the top five. Out of the leadoff spot he slashed .285/.369/.522 with 33 home runs and 92 RBI’s.

Playing in all 162 games – which is a rare feat – Semien provided the A’s with many great moments this season and was a huge part of why the team won 97 games once again. His growth should help Oakland continue to get better, as all their young players start to get closer to their primes.

Adding to the list of accomplishments, Semien tied Reggie Jackson for most runs in Oakland history in a single season with 123. Even more amazing is Semien’s all-around season helped put him in categories with some of the greats.

His WAR (wins above replacement) ranked fourth in MLB at 8.1 and his offensive WAR of 7.5 was third in the league. His batting average has raised each of the past four seasons, from .238 in 2016 to .285 last season.

Semien continues to get better each year, and with an Oakland team that is looking to avoid Wild Card games and win the AL West, this is a huge boost.

A’s fans should be excited about the future and they have a shortstop that has cemented his place.