“He works harder than anybody here, and he’s taken on a leadership role in the clubhouse, so there’s a lot on his plate. Kroichick is The Chronicle’s golf columnist, covering the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and all major championships in Northern California (including the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and 2020 PGA Championship at Harding Park). He mostly came off the bench in his two seasons with the White Sox, an education in the difficulty of producing amid sporadic at-bats. The Oakland Athletics are likely going to have to address the shortstop position this offseason.
He’s no longer wide-eyed or confused, gobbling up grounders with the poise and grace of an accomplished major leaguer.“Making the routine play, that’s what I wanted to do every time — it just wasn’t happening for me,” Semien said, referring to his first season with the A’s.
“I’ve never been around a big leaguer who’s come this far.”Semien has blossomed into the A’s best all-around shortstop since Miguel Tejada, who won the AL Most Valuable Player award in 2002. 1 college football recruit. The team was first known as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901 to 1954 and then as the Kansas City Athletics from 1955 to 1967 . Semien may never be a Gold Glove caliber shortstop, but he is no longer the butcher he had once been.As the A’s chance to extend Semien for a team friendly deal has likely passed, they will need to address the shortstop position in the offseason. In the playoffs, they defeated the Detroit Tigers in a five-game ALCS, followed by a seven-game World Series, in which they defeated the Cincinnati Reds for their first World Championship since 1930, when the club was in Philadelphia. In spring/summer 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, Kroichick moved to Metro to cover higher education and general-assignment news.A’s shortstop Marcus Semien makes ‘amazing’ transformation in 4 years They keep coming up empty.“The way he’s playing right now, there’s no reason to give him a day off,” Melvin said.This durability matters to Semien. Semien grew up in El Cerrito, taking grounders first at San Pablo Park in Berkeley and later at St. Mary’s High School and Cal.His grandma, Carol Phillips, often talked about how much she hoped Semien would play for the A’s one day, so family and friends could watch him regularly. He has started 176 consecutive games, ranks among the American League leaders in hits (106), is on pace to hit 24 homers and has committed only six errors.“It’s amazing, where he’s come from and where he is now,” manager Bob Melvin said. “I didn’t necessarily know what to do on each ball. Fortunately, the A’s have several promising shortstops in the minors that could fit that description.Let’s take a look through the candidates and see which of these players could become the Oakland Athletics shortstop of the future.Build your custom FanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis on Oakland Athletics and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more.Your privacy is safe with us. A's supporters arrived by the thousands to see their favorite players, coaches and former stars as the club prepares for the new baseball season.Oakland Athletics' Marcus Semien blows a bubble after making an out in 4th inning against Boston Red Sox during MLB game at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, April 4, 2019.Marcus Semien #10 of the Oakland Athletics is congratulated by teammates after he scored against the Chicago White Sox in the bottom of the first inning at Ring Central Coliseum on July 13, 2019 in Oakland, California.Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien in action against the Seattle Mariners in a baseball game Sunday, July 7, 2019, in Seattle.Oakland Athletics' Marcus Semien (10) is congratulated on his solo home run by third base coach Matt Williams in the second inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners Sunday, July 7, 2019, in Seattle.A’s shortstop Marcus Semien works on his defense before Sunday’s game against the White Sox.Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien in action against the Seattle Mariners in a baseball game Sunday, July 7, 2019, in Seattle.Marcus Semien celebrates his 4th inning home run with Jurickson Profar in the Oakland A's home opener against the Los Angeles Angels in Oakland, Calif. on Thursday, March 28, 2019. The Oakland A’s are expected to have an opening at short in 2021. If their choice craters, there will be plenty of options the following year. Nick Allen may already have a major league caliber glove. The 1974 Oakland Athletics season involved the A's winning their fourth consecutive American League West title with a record of 90 wins and 72 losses. On a day when the A’s handed out Marcus Semien T-shirts, Semien stood in front of the third-base dugout Sunday fielding questions about his durability, defensive reliability and permanent residency in the leadoff spot.Four years after a tumultuous first season as Oakland’s everyday shortstop, when he committed a franchise-record 35 errors, Semien looks like a completely different player. Les Athletics d'Oakland (Oakland Athletics en anglais) plus souvent appelés « A's » sont une franchise de la MLB (Major League Baseball) basée à Oakland.