Who is Marcus Semien?
By Jason Burke
As the rumor mill continues to swirl, it looks as though the White Sox are about to land a Sharknado. Ok, maybe just a Shark in Jeff Samardzija. While a deal is not yet official, many reporters (Slusser, Heyman) are saying that the return will be San Francisco native, and Cal alum, Marcus Semien and prospects. So just who is Semien?
The 24-year old right-handed hitter can play third, second, or occasionally at shortstop. With the “loss” of Alberto Callaspo to free agency, Semien can take over the utility role in 2015. He has played in 85 major league games over two seasons, and has hit a cumulative .240 with a .293 on-base percentage. In 300 at-bats, Semien has hit 8 home runs and driven in 35. Given some consistent playing time, Semien could see his batting average go up (.266 average in Triple-A) and has a little pop in his bat, hitting 15 homers in 303 at-bats in Triple-A in 2014.
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Marcus Semien also received 2013 Southern League MVP honors and was ranked the #91 overall prospect in baseball before 2014. According to Baseball Prospectus, Semien is projected to do quite well. Their projections have Semien hitting .239 in 2015, with 16 home runs and 65 rbi, if he collects regular playing time. With Andy Parrino and Eric Sogard being his main competition, Semien should get that playing time.
Since he could be on the A’s as soon as tomorrow morning, let’s look at his splits. Apparently Billy Beane wants another player that can hit lefties, because Marcus Semien, in 85 at-bats, hit .271, compared to a .211 batting average against righties. His homers were split evenly, but he also had roughly 60 more at-bats against righties than southpaws.
Thinking a little down the line, Semien was given the chance to lead-off on a few occasions, and delivered, batting .368 in 19 at-bats. This is an extremely small sample size, but it could be something to look at if Coco Crisp is injured, or down the line, when Crisp’s contract runs out in a couple of years.
If Marcus Semien can reach the potential that he seems to have, he could be a very solid acquisition for the A’s, not just in the immediate future, but also down the line as well. Semien is not set to hit free agency until 2021.