For those actively searching for a player ready to assume Anthony Rendon’s former title as the game’s “Most Underrated” player, Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien is making a valid case for himself in 2019. As Martin Gallegos of MLB.com notes, Semien scored his 120th run of the season on Sunday, placing him just three runs behind Reggie Jackson 1969 record for most runs scored by an Athletic in a single season (link). Besides that possibly impending accomplishment, it’s important to note that the 28-year-old Semien has done more than just cross the plate in 2019. Among AL shortstops, his 32 homers place him 3rd, his 90 RBIs are good for 2nd, and his 7.2 WAR valuation places him behind only Houston’s Alex Bregman at his position. However you slice it, 2019 has been a banner year for the former Cal Bear, who will likely garner MVP consideration at season’s end.
Semien’s near-peerless production has been a large reason behind Oakland’s 2.0-game cushion on all Wild Card competitors. He’s likely due a sizable raise in his third trip through arbitration this offseason, as his $5.9MM salary this year represents one of baseball’s biggest bargains.
More notes from around the league on a quiet Sunday eve…
- Yesterday, we passed along word of one dissatisfied ex-employee of Orioles GM Mike Elias’–namely, former special assignment instructor BJ Surhoff, who felt disrespected by Elias’ handling of his dismissal. Despite that bit of scuttlebutt, Elias is feeling good about his organization’s direction now that he’s had nearly a calendar year to direct its progress, as he told Roch Kubotko of MASN Sports in a wide-ranging interview (link).“When we came in here, the big league team (had) the worst record in the league last year,” Elias told Kubotko. “The farm system was ranked in the 20s…We had no real international scouting function, a minimalist analytics group. All of that’s changed. We’ve got our program going internationally. We’re signing players, we’re competing for players out there. We’re building towards a bigger analytics staff. The farm system’s taking a huge jump this year.” There are several other items of note in the article itself, among them his support of manager Brandon Hyde (who did ’Great’ in 2019, in Elias’ estimation) and his expectations for the club in 2020.
- The Astros were finally able to pop the corks on champagne bottles that had remained on ice through Friday and Saturday, as Sunday saw the team capture its third consecutive AL West title. In a well-written piece from the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome, manager A.J. Hinch credits mentality–not the team’s embarrassment of stars–as the source behind Houston’s success (link). “We just keep on keeping a winning culture, a winning mindset. We show up ready to play every day,” Hinch told Rome. “It’s the thing I’m most proud of. We just stay current in the moment.” Also of note in Rome’s article is a rundown of the club’s utter dominance of its AL West opponents in 2019; the club has won 32 out of its last 38 games at home against AL West competitors, en route to an overall 51-19 record against divisional foes this year.
Semien is an East Bay legend, so glad he’s dope now Athletic fo lyfeeee
You’re welcome.
Why? Semien is from the East Bay, not Chicago. You guys stole him for a minute until Beane bought him home.
From a terrible defender with power to this, all the hard work with wash on the infield and a hunger for knowledge and a drive to train and practice your position have really paid off for Semien! So glad to see him get some attention he deserves, glad to have him as an Oakland Athletic has been a great asset to the community and his family on and off field good role model for the Oakland fans!
It’s staggering how utterly terrible he was at SS and last year was more Olson being the greatest defensive 1B in history, but now, Semien is good no matter who is at 1B because he rarely makes mistakes.
He’s not on Andrelton level…yet. But the ceiling is sky high now. Beane should give him 10/250 asap.
Ceiling??……the guy is 29 and after 6 pretty pedestrian years in the majors has had a very good year…….let’s see which player shows up next year before we anoint him the second coming of anything.
10/250 are you kidding me? You think one season of very good numbers equates to a manny Machado type contract? To a team that hardly ever spends money. I hope this was a joke.
It was a joke. He will not even get half of that in free agency.
Machado got $300M? 300 is not 250.
Machado also has never had a season like Semien has this year. His high is 7.1, Semien is up to 7.9.
Machado was 26 and not a free agent at 30. There’s no way to defend your crap statement. Just eat it and move on.
At 29 years old Marcus Semien has for the first time batted above the major league average.
You now want to give him a 10 year 250 million dollar deal. There’s no way to defend that. You’re a clear A’s homer; you get real excited when talking about A’s players. That’s what happened here. There’s no logic in your comment; don’t grasp for straws now.
Give a guy 10-years starting at age 30? Yeah, not the smartest idea in the world.
Lol the prisoner of the moment comment of the year. Idk how this logic works in ol’ S4’s head. Semien couldn’t sign a 10 year deal fast enough.
Not starting at age 30, starting now. Its fine and deserving. He won’t get it but that’s only because all MLB owners are making too much money and the players arent getting enough of the profits.
There’s far more industries with gaudier profit margins than a Major League Baseball team, S4. Go Study finance in college or take a look on the yahoo financials page if you have any idea how to read financial statements. You’re angry with how capitalism works, if anything.
And stop doubling down on this semien crap. He’s 29 years old now. It makes no difference if you meant now or a year from now.
Strike Four – Starting now? Yes, starting now beginning in 2020 where Semien will BE 30 YEARS OLD next September! As stated in my first comment.
Since you do not know baseball or math, Marcus Semien was born in 1990. To give a SS a 10-year deal at the age of 30 would be a disaster in today’s game. You would completely destroy the A’s franchise with that move. Semien deserves nothing more than a 4-year deal for 1 great season.
Says he’s “2rd in AL in RBI’s”. Just a heads up.
what…you don’t think they meant “turd” in RBI?
I believe the most improved aspect of his defense is his throwing accuracy. This year he has been very consistent, which is something you could not say in years past. Even last year Olson was bailing him out quite a bit, this year very few times. Keep it up Mr. Semien as the A’s strive for a deep October run.
What Semien has done is nothing short of increíble. Give credit to A’s Billy Bean and co too for believing in his talent when he needed that support.
Great job, Rick Hahn. Gonna look even worse when Timmay’s BABIP normalizes while never taking a walk.
Although, to be fair, none of the clowns you have coaching these players would’ve developed him anyway.
Sox need to fire Hahn ASAP
Sox have the worst GM, player development, scouting, manager and coaches in baseball.
Tatis for James Shields, never forget
What did anyone expect the O’s management to say? First off Elias is so full of his self that of course he thinks he has done great because the O’s have what 3 more wins that last season.
Second, of course he’s going to say Hyde has done well because Elias hired him, did anyone really think he would say,”Well I really messed up there”. Third, MASN is also partially owned by the Angelos and thus Kubotko has the same over all boss as Elias. Elias is also farther up the chain than Kubotko so it makes sense that MASN Sports makes everything sound as positive as possible for the O’s management.. Personally I have to sort of agree with Surhoff in that it was all handled a little heavy handed!
If you don’t think the Orioles are in better shape long term now than they were a year ago you are completely clueless. Did you expect them to win 90 games?! Looking at the Major League win total this year and ignoring what they are trying to build and how they are going about it is the definition of shortsighted.
Elias built an international pipeline and has seen the .org prospect depth improve significantly. That’s all he needed to do to make this year a success. The wins and losses on the field are irrelevant. Stop with the conspiracy theories here. We won’t be able to judge Elias for years. You can’t say anything bad after year 1. He’s making the org his.
drbnic did not say the orioles are not in better shape, did not say expected orioles to win 90 games. drbnic stated some facts that you did not address in your comment. I agree with drbnic that Elias seems very full of himself, that’s my opinion. Stop calling people names (clueless and shortsighted) just because you don’t agree with them.
Ok well for starters I asked if he expected them to win 90 games, never said he said that. The reason I asked that is because he was acting like Elias was full of “his self” because they won 3 more games than last year and that in itself shows that this year wasn’t anything to be optimistic about. And if you are in the first year of a new regime that is in the process of a culture change and a long term rebuild you are judging that process in year one based of major league wins and losses then I am sorry you are being shortsighted. And a little clueless to the topic at hand. Nothing personal but that is simply reality. I think Hyde did as well as you could have expected with the cards he was dealt and I highly doubt any other manager would have scratched out too many more wins (as if that was imperative to this rebuild) His assertion that the only reason Elias said that was because he hired him and didn’t want to look like he made a huge mistake is comical. I still feel no need to touch the MASN stuff because for starters I (as well as others) are sick of hearing about MASN stuff and it really doesn’t have much to do with anything except why he doesn’t think Roch was being negative enough for his liking. I hope I was able to cover everything for you that time. Sorry that “shortsighted” is apparently so offensive these days.
The comment you replied to did not make the claims you assert it did and then you characterize or name-call the commenter clueless and shortsighted. i think a more thoughtful and reasoned reply could have been made on your behalf, it seemed IMO your goal was to berate the commenter and you did achieve your goal but unjustifiably…
I didn’t say that JERK!! You might learn to read before you make comments! Go drink the orange Kool Aid and think what your feeble mind will allow you too.
Intelligent response. I love how someone lacks any ability to make an intelligent response and has to resort to the old kool aid line. Also thinks himself is “his self”, but calls out someone else for having a “feeble mind” that’s comedic gold
You obviously don’t read Roch Kubotko on a regular basis, because if you did you’d know he can be as critical as anyone about the Orioles. Surhoff’s remarks seem bitter, and I can expect some bitterness based on how he was let go, but he was part of a minor league instructional staff that developed NO ONE for the past 15 years. The couldn’t ruin Machado, as he had too much talent (although they did let him become a selfish, lackadaisical player). Britton and Matusz had no success until they were moved to the bullpen. Several early round draft picks never made it above AA. Every star they had over the past 15 years came from someone else’s organization.
I mostly agree. The previous regimes were never allowed to build out an international pipeline so they do need to be graded on a curve to some degree. When you punt a major source of obtaining talent it’s going to make the weaknesses of your developmental system that much more obvious.
Nick Markakis? Matt Weiters? Michael Givens? Bundy? Gausman? Mancini? Means? Along with Machado and Britton who you have conveniently discounted. And, no, IMO Kubotko is not as critical as he should be about the Orioles (why don’t you provide a link to a post or two of him being critical of the Orioles, I would be interested to read them).
What are you just naming orioles? Givens is a typically above average reliever, Gausman was a mid rotation starter and Bundy isn’t even that. Every organization develops at least that much.
You wrote “a minor league instructional staff that developed NO ONE for the past 15 years” I listed some players developed by the Orioles in the past 15 years. Now you write “Every organization develops at least that much”
And where did Trey Mancini come from if not the Orioles farm system?
If no prospects came from the O’s system in the last 15 years then where did Trey Mancini, John Means, Mychal Givens,Dylan Bundy, Chance Sisco, & Austin Hays come from? Not to mention Hunter Harvey and Branden Kline who have both been dealing with health problems until this year.
Lol what
If LeMahieu gets more MVP votes than Semien the award is a total farce. Semien obliterates DJ at every aspect of the game and plays a harder position at an elite level.
AL MVP should go Trout-Bregman-Semien and if it doesn’t they should kick all the voters out and get new ones who understand that the Yankees aren’t the only team in existence.
Oakland A’s fans….you guys/gals all crack up up with your absolutes!
Why not just call off the MVP award now and give it to the guy who in a 7 year career in the majors just had his best year! Absolutely….the best of all time!
> Oakland A’s fans
Strike Four isn’t an Oakland A’s fan. I don’t know what he is, but he spouts his mouth off whenever the A’s are mentioned.
Semien has been the A’s most valuable player, but LeMahieu has filled so many voids in the Yankees lineup this year. That makes him more valuable.
“spouts his mouth off” yeah, I’m sorry I think the A’s have a lot of elite players, which I guess is a rule amongst you online types, the “A’s can NEVER have nice things”-types, even when they really do have nice things. I say TRUTHS on here only, and sadly, a massive majority on baseball fans online are wildly delusional and arent ready to listen to reality. “My team is great, we only have 2 wife beaters on it! Yay! Go team!!!” indeed….
You literally badmouthed Chapmans bat in this thread. Weird. Its one thing to be an anti-homer, but to get mad at people for thinking players on your fave team are good? You are weird, man. You have good players, Semien is massively more valuable than DJ, period. You need your A’s fan card pulled for this.
So I can’t be a fan unless I slobber over a player who plays for my team? You live in a delusional world.
I badmouthed Chapman because, again, unlike you, I actually watch this team play, and watching Chapman during the second half has actually been painful. His defensive is always stellar, and during the first half it looked like he was improving on what he started doing during the second half of last year. Since the second half he’s continued to play elite defense but his bat has regressed to Three True Outcomes level of terrible. He hits the occasional home run or double, he’ll take walks, but he’ll also swing at garbage pitches out of the zone and he’ll stare and do nothing at meatballs that are middle-middle.
The jury is still out on Chapman, but this second half has not been a good look for him on his journey towards a reasonable extension.
Another moron post. Obliterates him in every aspect? Btw, I am quoting this based on my baseball knowledge as I do not have the stats up, but seimien (who is having a very nice season) line of .280/32/90 is OBLITERATING dj ljne of .329/26/99???? Seems pretty close to me. I am willing to bet OBP and slugging also close. Not to mention dj has literally played 3rd 2nd and 1st this season and done a good job of all three. Sounds like a typical yankee hate comment to me.
BABIP exists, you dolt. DJ hits in a little league park, Semien plays in a vast wasteland. These are facts. You are the moron here, not I.
LeMahieu has played almost every position on the field, not just one! He’s been the stick to carry an injury riddled team all year, but yet you give him no credit at all? Typical Yankee biased poster!
Agreed
DJ played a lot of positions…terribly.
Typical Yankee fan, the delusional type that thought Jeter’s sorry defense was elite. Semien has been twice the player DJ was this year, and has been infinitely more valuable. DJ just mashed at Yankee stadium this year, whoop de doo any scrub can do that. Semien played in an extreme pitchers park and still mashed. Semien’s BABIP is 60 points lower than DJ’s. DJ is fake big, Semien is the real deal.
Hinch’s comments are almost as ludicrous as the time Swisher called the Yankee team he was on (with the highest payroll) “a bunch of grinders”.
Alex Breghman plays 3rd base not SS
Bregman played more SS than 3rd this year due to Correa’s “injuries “
If you would’ve stopped your statement At “Bregman’s Played more SS this year due to Correa’s injuries” you would’ve been correct. But he’s certainly played more 3B than SS.
Bergman has played more 3rd than SS this year.
Bregman
Ingrid Bergman played a lot of third this year…..
Semien has improved a ton this year. My hat’s off to him. Hard work and being willing to listen to instruction are paying off for him.
Players’ ability don’t exist in some kind of static universe. It’s utterly bizarre to claim the player “X” is this kind of player at 24, and he will be that kind of player at 29. You weren’t the same person; neither are they. Really, folks, let’s get into the real world here.
What caused Semien’s transformation? Who knows? Could be any of a hundred things. And certainly his approaching 3rd year arb and Free Agency probably factors in here.
Contract wise? The A’s really can’t afford a big money deal right now; they may never be able to. But again, that’s not the end of the world. Celebrate Semien’s production, and bid him a fond adieu; MOST long-term deals are mistakes anyway.
If the A’s are to throw big money at any of their players it ought to be the guy who is 3 years younger and has been doing it for a few years. Chapman is the guy I’d open the piggy bank up for. Semien had a hell of a breakout, he’s in his “prime years” but the A’s can’t afford to overpay him when he’s not. So I would agree with you there. I’m not sure they can afford a Bogaerts type extension and realistically have any chance at keeping Olson, Chapman and whoever else they’d like to keep in Oakland.
Chapman’s defense is god tier, but his bat is still a little questionable. There is such a thing as too patient, and he’s watching a lot of good pitches go by while trying to draw walks. Pitchers adjusted to the adjustments he made a couple months ago, then they adjusted again and started exploiting his patience. So he’s seeing fewer pitches because pitchers are pumping first pitch fastballs right down the center and getting ahead of him.
absolute insane post, you are a giants homer in disguise arent you? ray ratto, that you??
Chapman from the start of the season through June: .272/.358/.553
Chapman from the start of July through Sunday’s game against the Rangers: .211/.317/.434.
The deviation in stat lines match up with my assessment of his struggles. His OBP went up, his average and overall quality of contact have gone way down. He’s now watching more strike 2’s and 3’s go by, when he isn’t completely whiffing on strike 3 on a pitch out of the zone, or he’s making weak contact because he’s being forced to be defensive at the plate.
I can be a homer and not really like where his development as a hitter is heading. He went from being a solid 20-25 home runs a year kind of guy who looked like he could reasonable hit .between .260-.275 and get on base at an above average clip to a three true outcomes guy over the course of a season. That’s not really promising. He’ll have until his second arbitration year, and if the A’s have a guy who can be a league average defender with a league average bat they’ll take that over Chapman.
I don’t think I’d brag too much about winning a lot of games against the Angels, Rangers, and Mariners.
Before we start annointing Semien most anything, can he please do it twice? The reason he was rated the way he was was that he deserved it. There’s a reason he’s not a White Sock, and it isn’t because he brought in a bundle of top prospects in a trade. So, one more year of this production & we can put him up there with the best. If he goes back to .245-10-50, we’ll know he just had a nice year.
He’ll have a chance next year. One more year of arbitration, and the A’s aren’t going to throw money at him until he’s done it more than once. At least when they extended Khris Davis he had been the most anomalous thing in baseball history three straight year (40 home runs and a .247 batting average).
Ah yes, the guy who literally improves every year is suddenly going to plateau.
“There’s a reason he’s not a White Sock”
Yeah he’s from Oakland and Beane wanted to draft him. Beane also is so good GMing there’s a book and movie about him. Pick one of those, and that’s the reason.
Movies are typically make-believe, as was the book about Beane. Everyone knows Sandy Alderson built the 2000-03 A’s teams while Beane came in with his cute approach to guide loaded teams to an ALDS loss. Every. Single. Time. Once Beane realized he had to adjust his approach he became a better commander.
What team is Marcus Semien getting traded to this off season?
Boston for Bogaerts and Betts.