Marcus Semien’s Extensive Defensive Training Is Paying Off For Oakland Athletics
At the beginning of the season, the Oakland Athletics’ rookie shortstop Marcus Semien was having a rough time defensively. He was making errors left and right and could not complete routine plays. Oakland fans were starting to doubt GM Billy Beane’s decision to acquire Semien and appoint him the A’s everyday starting shortstop.
In order to try and improve this youngster’s defense, the Athletics hired infield specialist Ron Washington. Washington was the manager of the Texas Rangers in previous years and had also been a part of the Oakland Athletics’ coaching staff in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The reason the A’s hired this specific coach is because he is known for working well with young infield players and upgrading their defensive skills immensely. He is currently credited with developing six-time Gold Glove winner Eric Chavez‘s defense as well as former MVP Miguel Tejada‘s fielding skills.
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Washington only returned to Oakland on May 22, but a change is already noticeable in Semien. For June, Semien has only committed four errors in 20 games. This may still seem like a lot, but Semien had previously committed 18 errors throughout April and May. He is now able to read the ball better, get a more appropriate jump on each baseball hit to him, and complete the play successfully — something he struggled with before.
The key to Semien’s growth during this short amount of time is his ability to maintain his confidence while also absorbing all of the necessary information in order to succeed. Even though he leads the MLB in errors, he has not lost any confidence in himself. Semien takes the field everyday hoping to improve. He understands the magnitude of being the Athletics’ everyday starting shortstop and he does not take that lightly. However, he has confidence within himself that he will be able to be successful at that position as long as he works hard.
Additionally, even though he is only 24 years old, he has proven to be a quick learner. Between Washington and infield coach Mike Gallego, Semien has learned a lot about infield defense. Yet, he has not faltered when it comes to applying these teachings to gameday baseball. He has proven that he can bounce back from his mistakes and learn from them as well.
As Semien continues to progress, he will only become better. Washington told the press the other day that he sees Semien improving on a daily basis. By the time September rolls around, Semien’s defense could be above-average. No matter what, the Oakland Athletics will definitely have a more well-rounded shortstop for the rest of the season.