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

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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