Marcus Semien has five hits, seven RBIs though two spring games
It’s our duty to remind you that spring training stats mean little in the grand scheme of things. They’re a small sample size collected against mostly inexperienced minor leaguers and fringe major leaguers battling it out for the final open spots on the 25-man roster. Little is to be truly learned or extracted from said numbers, although players would obviously rather come out looking impressive than having to answer questions about performance in March.
With that mind, it’s also our duty to point out when a player is flat out raking, and so far Oakland A’s shortstop Marcus Semien is doing just that to the tune of five hits, two home runs, one walk and seven RBIs in his first six plate appearances this spring.
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Semien, 24, is coming off his first extended look in MLB. In 2014, he hit .234/.300/.372 with six homers and 28 RBIs in 64 games with the Chicago White Sox. He was acquired by the A’s in the Jeff Samardzija blockbuster trade during the winter meetings and entered camp tentatively expected to be their opening day shortstop. Though such plans are obviously still written in pencil, we’d say Semien’s first impression will buy him some space and ensure the eraser remains far away from his name in the near future.
As noted, Semien isn’t just poking seeing-eye singles out there. He’s shown power, patience, and the ability to adjust to situations. He’s not doing it exclusively against bottom of the roster pitchers either as he started the spring with a home run off World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants.
Here’s a quick rundown of his plate appearances so far.
1. Hit two-run homer against Madison Bumgarner to score Craig Gentry and give Oakland a quick 2-0 lead. The A’s would add one more to make it a three run first.
2. Singled up the middle against Brett Bochy. Craig Gentry scored from second to make it 4-1 Oakland.
3. Led off fifth inning with solo home run off of Cody Hall.
Those plates appearance took place in Oakland’s 9-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Oakland knocked off San Francisco again, 9-2 , and Semien stayed locked in.
4. Singled to left field against Jake Peavy to score Sam Fuld and Josh Reddick and give Oakland another 2-0 first-inning lead.
5. Walked against Ty Blach.
6. Facing Ty Blach again, Semien dropped a single in front of center fielder Angel Pagan. Josh Reddick, who was 3-for-3 himself, scored to make it 6-2.
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That pretty much sums it up right there. It’s Marcus Semien’s world within the world of A’s camp, though as you might expect, Semien himself isn’t putting much stock into the results.
The way Semien puts it, “I’m just getting good pitches to hit right now” — and he’s doing it against both lefties and righties, having homered off southpaw Madison Bumgarner on Tuesday, before getting to righty Jake Peavy early in Wednesday’s affair. He’s also studying up on new opposition.
“I’m just trying to pay attention to how they attack me,” he said. “I know we play [San Francisco] a little bit this year, so that’s what it’s about.”
The overreaction is always best left for the teammates.
“It’s unreal,” said righty Jesse Hahn. “He’s in midseason form right now.”
“It’s unbelievable,” added outfielder Josh Reddick. “It’s something special, and hopefully he can ride it into the season.”
That’s a long shot, but Semien is at least guaranteed to stay perfect into Friday’s action. Manager Bob Melvin already said he’ll get Thursday off. But we’re guessing Semien would much rather keep on rolling than allow someone else a crack at his position.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
