One would think that Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien would take a break after a 2023 season in which he played in every regular-season and postseason game, setting Major League records for games started (179) and plate appearances (835).
He did, just not the kind of break that most of us would take.
Just a couple of weeks after waving at hundreds of thousands of Rangers fans at the post-World Series parade in Arlington, he was back in the cage getting ready for 2024.
“I always think about our opponents and what they’re doing,” Semien said as he reported to spring training in Surprise, Ariz. “You know the teams that didn’t go as far as us had an extra month to prepare. And I think, ‘Why should I sit and take a break because we went this far last offseason?’ That’s my mindset. We’re not playing games, but you need to make sure you’re doing things to get ready.”
Sure, Semien did spend some time coaching his son’s baseball team two days after the World Series parade. But he doesn’t do well with idle hands.
He played in 159 out of 162 games in 2019, followed by 53 out of a possible 60 during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Since 2021, he’s missed just one game out of a possible 485 games in the regular season.
Semien doesn’t like days off. He’s admitted it. And his manager, Bruce Bochy, has found ways to accommodate it. It doesn’t impact his production, either.
Semien finished third in AL Most Valuable Player voting behind Shohei Ohtani and his teammate Corey Seager. Semien slashed .276/.348/.478/.826 with 40 doubles, four triples, 29 home runs, and 100 RBIs. He reached 10 RBI for the second time in his career. He was also elected to the AL All-Star Team for the second time in three seasons.
But just because Semien has been working out all season doesn’t mean he’s ready for the regular season.
“I definitely come into spring not feeling like I need to be a finished product right now,” Semien said. “As you get into April, you want to be ready for the fastball, have your timing right, and your mechanics need to be kind of solid.”
Semien has nearly six weeks to get ready for the season opener against the Chicago Cubs on March 28.
More must-reads: