Baseball’s youth movement, which has welcomed early-20s studs like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr., serves as a reminder that star status can be bestowed at a young age. But it doesn’t always work like that.

Marcus Semien, a nine-year veteran, fits a different mold. He was essentially a league-average player for his first six seasons (96 OPS+) before his 2019 breakout. Now he’s on his way to the All-Star Game for the first time -- as a starter, no less.

“The experience is so important in this league,” Semien said Friday. “I feel just as good as I did [when I was] 24, 25 with the A’s, coming up playing shortstop. But the experience wasn’t there. So there were some growing pains that I needed to get through.

“You just learn so much as the years go on. … And the body feels good. I think the defense has gotten better over the years because I’ve learned what I need to do to get ready for the game, and I’m able to translate it into the game.”

Another key for the 30-year-old is staying in the game. He’s an everyday player for Toronto, and he leads the Majors with 359 plate appearances (he also led the league in 2019).

When a slump comes Semien’s way -- as it did through the first 20 days of this season, when he had a .174/.247/.348 slash line -- he prefers to play through it. Adjustments come naturally to Semien, who is pulling the ball more than ever (45.8 percent of balls in play), hitting more fly balls (33.8 percent) and posting a career-high .602 slugging percentage on fastballs.

During games, Semien enjoys grabbing a team iPad and replaying his at-bats right after they happen. He looks at his swings and takes, trying to ensure he has a proper feel for the strike zone.

“Of course, nobody had that when we were younger, but the level of competition was not nearly as good,” Semien said.

Preparation. Experience. Adaptation. That’s why Semien is an All-Star starter.

And his numbers back it up. Semien joked that switching to second base this season created “a little easier route,” which might be true, but he’s taken advantage by leading all MLB second basemen in home runs (20), slugging percentage (.548), OPS (.904) and Fangraphs’ WAR (3.6).

Though reaching the All-Star Game was never a stated goal of his, Semien is excited to participate in something he has watched every year since childhood. Instead of seeing his favorite player, Barry Bonds, square off against fellow greats like Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens, Semien relishes the chance to hear his name called and to stand in the team photo with today’s brightest stars.

Also, if the league allows, Semien is excited to watch the T-Mobile Home Run Derby with his two young boys at his side. Four-year-old Isaiah is a Shohei Ohtani superfan.

“[Isaiah’s] talking about Ohtani a lot just like everybody else is,” Semien said. “He says he wants to be a pitcher and hitter like Ohtani, so he’s having a good effect on the kids these days.”

The family affair will include Semien’s parents, too, who excitedly called him the moment he was announced as a starter on television. Semien’s mother turns 50 on July 12 (the day before the game), and she will be in Denver to celebrate.

All-Star nominations, particularly for the starters, are acknowledgments of hard work turning into something great on the field. Semien is no different, even if it took him almost a decade to make it there.

“You know, it’s truly an honor,” he said.