Good, Bad, and Ugly: How to Examine the Texas Rangers’ 1-4 Start in 2022

Texas Rangers: The Ugly – Marcus Semien

Oh, how this hurts to write.

Let’s make one thing clear: Marcus Semien is not going to bat .095 for the entire 2022 season. There is no reason to overreact and panic over a five game slump, even when that slump costs $25 million a year. The law of averages exists for a reason – but the fact remains that he has only collected one single and one double in 22 at-bats through five games. He didn’t have a particularly great spring, either, slashing .206/.270/.412 in 37 plate appearances.

Only Semien knows what will fix his struggles at the plate. You could attribute it to starting the season in Toronto, or just facing good pitchers and whiffing, or just chalk it up as a slump. Any explanation is valid. The bright side for him is that he’s been pretty solid defensively. Seager and Lowe have both had a couple blunders and close calls so far, but Andy Ibañez and Semien have anchored the infield with consistent awareness and good reaction time, but the team obviously needs Semien’s MVP-level swing to come through, and it will shortly.

Let me know what you think of the Rangers through five games – I’d love to know what readers think is the best, worst, and everything in between about this 2022 club so far.