Texas Rangers: Marcus Semien is a top-10 player of the decade so far

New Texas Rangers‘ second baseman Marcus Semien is elite. That much was known when he was signed to a seven-year, $175 million pact by the team during the free agent frenzy prior to the lockout.

Just how elite are we talking, though? He’s a top-10 player of the decade according to FanGraphs-calculated WAR (fWAR). Now, we’re only two years into said decade, but that doesn’t underscore just how productive the second baseman has been on the field during these last two years. WAR is a stat meant to take that into account.

Texas Rangers’ second baseman Marcus Semien is a top-10 player in all of MLB the last two seasons

On this list, Semien places ninth in all of baseball, ahead of Rays’ second baseman Brandon Lowe. Is that good?

For the record, this is quite the ledger of individuals. To be on a list with some of the best talent in baseball today is a huge compliment to Semien and his recent breakout.

The 31-year-old is coming off a 2021 season in which he finished 3rd in AL MVP voting behind former teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Angels’ two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani. Pretty good company if I may say so. A major reason for tallying up votes in the MVP balloting? Look no further than Semien’s 45 home runs, the most by any second baseman in baseball last season.

But while his 2021 was elite, finishing with a 6.6 fWAR, his 2020 was… less so. In that 60-game season with the Oakland A’s, Semien compiled a meager 1.2 fWAR. Of course, that season is an outlier among outliers, so it’s hard to really put too much stock into it. This is especially true considering Semien’s 2019 with the A’s, in which he was worth a career-high 7.6 fWAR.

Any way you look at it, Marcus Semien has been one of baseball’s best players over the last few seasons. Even if his superb 2021 season is carrying the bulk of the weight factoring into his ranking on the above list, the Texas Rangers know they’re getting a top-tier player and leader.