Ex-Golden Bear Marcus Semien Wins Second Gold Glove

Once regarded as a subpar defensive player, Marcus Semien has earned his second Rawlings AL Gold Glove award.  

The Texas Rangers’ 35-year-old second baseman was first honored for his fielding prowess in 2021, when he played shortstop for the Toronto Blue Jays. That made him the first Cal alum to win a Gold Glove since outfielder Jackie Jensen with the Boston Red Sox in 1959.

Semien committed just two errors in 493 total chances this season, compiling a .996 fielding percentage. 

Here’s how MLB.com described his season:

“Semien didn’t have the type of offensive season he would have liked, but he didn’t let that affect his play in the field. His +7 OAA (outs above average) ranked in the 92nd percentile among second basemen in 2025 . . . Semien is the first player in franchise history to win the honor at the keystone position.”

Semien’s season was cut short by a fractured foot he suffered on Aug. 21, limiting him to127 games. An iron man in recent years, he had missed just four games the previous four seasons.

The five-time All-Star had his least-productive offensive season in a decade with a .230 batting average, 15 home runs and 62 RBIs. Over the previous four years, Semien averaged nearly 31 home runs and 90 RBIs.

Semien was among five Rangers players who were Gold Glove finalists. 

His defensive excellence is in contrast to early in his career, where three times with the A’s he led the American League in errors by a shortstop. That included 2015 when his 35 errors produced a .947 fielding percentage.

Semien made huge strides in the field while working with former A’s coach Ron Washington. The Rangers moved him from shortstop to second base when he joined the team in 2022 because of the presence of Corey Seager at shortstop.

Semien, who finished third in the American League MVP voting in 2019 (with the A’s), 2021 (Blue Jays) and 2023 (Rangers), will enter the fifth year of the seven-year $175 million dollar contract he signed with Texas before the 2022 campaign.