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Texas Rangers: Why Marcus Semien will bust out of his slump to claim World Series MVP

Marcus Semien has been struggling at the plate in the postseason but is primed for a breakout World Series.

By West Jones |
Championship Series - Houston Astros v Texas Rangers - Game Three
Championship Series - Houston Astros v Texas Rangers - Game Three / Carmen Mandato/GettyImages
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As the Texas Rangers have been on their jaunt through the postseason, leadoff hitter Marcus Semien has been struggling at the plate. After having a great regular season, Semien has had difficulty finding his grove in the playoffs. That is about to change and in a big way. Not only is Semien about to snap out of his slump, but he is also going to lead the Rangers to their first World Series title and pick up the World Series MVP award along the way.

Why would I make such a statement about a guy who is slashing .192/.276/.231 in the playoffs through twelve games? Well, there are three key reasons and the first one has to do with a bundle of joy at home.

Marcus Semien is about to have a great World Series for his family

Many of us have all been there. Pressing work to do, but there are more important things at home that keep us distracted. I am not saying that Semien is making any excuses for his dismal performance this postseason, I am simply stating the obvious. He is a family man who has had a pregnant wife throughout the season. The couple have three young sons already and knew that they would be welcoming their first daughter into the world sometime in the middle of a playoff run if it lasted long enough.

Well, after the sweep of the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS, Semien's wife Tarah informed him that her doctor had said that she was far enough along and that an induction would be okay. This meant that he would be there for the birth of his fourth child and yet not miss any playoff games. There is little doubt that this pressure of the impending birth and navigating the playoffs had to have taken a toll on Semien. Thankfully it all worked out and Amelie Carol Anne was born on Thursday the 12th, and has three very protective big brothers, Isaiah, Joshua, and Eli.

If there was any question on what family means to Semien, all you had to do was watch his interview with the Fox postgame crew after Game 7 of the ALCS and the ensuing team photo. Marcus had all three of the boys with him during the interview and they were center stage and his main focus despite fielding questions about heading to the World Series by Alex Rodrigeuz, David Ortiz, and Derek Jeter. Then he had to head over to the center of the diamond for the team photo, and his teammates encouraged him to bring the three boys over for the picture as well. It was a priceless moment that says a lot about him and the entire team.

Now with a few days off at home, and with the new addition here and healthy, I feel like Semien is ready for a big series for the Rangers. He is going to be even more focused than normal and will be able to play his best ball, not just for himself and his teammates, but for his loving family.

Next: Semien's 2023 numbers

Marcus Semien had a fantastic 2023 regular season

When you are on the same team as Corey Seager, your offensive numbers can sometimes be overlooked. That is probably the case for Semien. I know that I am guilty of this. When asked who the Rangers' best hitter is, I automatically say "Seager", and follow that up with, "It's really not close". And that isn't totally true. Now I will stand by my naming of Seager as the team's best hitter, and there is very little argument against that case. But don't sleep on Semien and his numbers from this year, as they are outstanding.

First of all, Semien is the leadoff batter for the Rangers. There is more to that role than many people realize. You are always the first guy to see what the starting pitcher has to offer that particular day and you have to set the stage for the guys behind you. Over the course of a season, you will have more at-bats than anyone else on the team, simply because your spot in the order comes up more. That is absolutely the case for someone like Semien who plays every day. In fact, he played in all 162 games this season and occupied the leadoff spot in every one of them.

Semien was at, or near the top in many statical categories this season. He slashed .276/.348/.478 for the year and had an OPS+ of 122. In the American League, he ranked 10th in average, 13th in on-base percentage, and 14th in slugging percentage. Also in the AL, he was 12th with 29 home runs, 1st with 122 runs scored, 4th with 100 runs batted in, 17th with 14 stolen bases, he had the 8th lowest K% at 14.6%, and he finished the season only behind Shohei Ohtani in position player fWAR with 6.3. The bottom line is, that the guy can rake, he has just hit a rough patch in the playoffs. That is going to turn around in the World Series, and perhaps already has.

Next: Semien finding his groove

Texas Rangers leadoff hitter Marcus Semien starting to find his groove

You have to look no further than Games 6 and 7 of the ALCS to see that Semien is turning things around at the dish. Game 6 was his best game to date in the playoffs. He was seeing the ball great and reached safely in four of his five plate appearances (two hits and two walks). Game 7 saw Semien record yet another hit and one more walk.

Over those two games, Semien hit .375 with an on-base percentage of .546. Now that is what I'm talking about! He is obviously starting to see the ball better and making solid contact. It seems like he had been popping up a ton of balls in the postseason, but the line drives and hard-hit singles indicate a turning of the tide for Semien.

Things really started to turn for Semien at the end of Game 5. After all of the drama that happened with the baseball pushing match between the Astros and Rangers in the bottom of the eighth inning, and then the go-ahead home run by Jose Altuve in the top of the ninth, the bottom of the ninth kind of gets lost. But the Rangers had two guys on and nobody out with the top of their order coming up. Semien ripped a ball that was caught only because the shortstop was positioned perfectly and was able to leap into the air and rob him of a game-tying hit. The result of the play was an out, but it signaled a new day of hitting for Semien moving forward in these playoffs.

Marcus Semien is the same guy day in and day out. A professional's professional that works hard and grinds it out. Bruce Bochy is going to pencil in #2 Semien 4, at the top of the lineup card for every World Series game. Semien is going to deliver in a big way, and not only raise the Commissioner's Trophy but take home the World Series MVP hardware as well. It's going to be fun to watch. Enjoy the ride!

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