Examining AL MVP cases for Seager, Semien
This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry’s Rangers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
When shortstop Corey Seager and second baseman Marcus Semien signed mega-deals with the Rangers ahead of the 2022 season, it was with one goal in mind: to win the World Series.
Well, the two middle-infield superstars have done that, but there could be more hardware on the horizon. Seager and Semien were named finalists for the American League Most Valuable Player Award alongside 2021 AL MVP Shohei Ohtani. The winner will be announced on Thursday at 5 p.m. CT on MLB Network.
The Rangers haven’t had an MVP winner since Josh Hamilton in 2010, and now the club has a 66 percent chance to secure another.
Ohtani is obviously the favorite, but Texas’ superstars both have a case on their own. Here are the MVP cases for both Seager and Semien to shock the baseball world and win their first MVP awards:
Corey Seager
Seager already won his second World Series MVP as he led the Rangers to the first title in franchise history, but there’s no doubt he did enough in the regular season to be considered for his first MVP Award.
Seager played in just 119 games after spending time on the injured list with two injuries, but he still accumulated 33 home runs and 96 RBIs. He posted full-season career highs in batting average (.327), on-base percentage (.390), slugging percentage (.623) and OPS+ (170).
Seager finished second in the AL in batting average (.327), slugging percentage (.623) and OPS (1.013), and he fell just a percentage point short of the batting title after going hitless in game 162.
Seager trailed Semien and Ohtani in both fWAR (6.1) and bWAR (6.9).
Seager’s business-like approach to the game has fundamentally changed the Rangers’ clubhouse since his arrival. He’s been a vital part of building a winning environment in Texas and has shown it every day on the field.
He doesn’t have the flash and flair of players like teammate Adolis García, or the pure superstar aura of Ohtani, but Seager has been more valuable to the Rangers than almost any other player has been to any MLB team in his short time in the organization.
Marcus Semien
His stats don’t exactly blow you away like Seager’s, but make no mistake, Semien has been the engine that keeps the entire Rangers operation going in all facets of the game.
The Rangers’ personal iron man, Semien played all 162 games in the regular season, as well as all 17 games in the Rangers’ run to the World Series. He slashed .276/.348/.478 with 29 homers, 40 doubles and 100 RBIs. He led the club in both fWAR (6.3) and bWAR (7.4), both of which trailed Ohtani for the AL lead.
Semien led the AL with 122 runs and 185 hits, while his 73 extra-base hits and 320 total bases were the most among second basemen. He also drove in 100 runs for the second time in his career.
And despite a few slumps this season, Semien provides value in many other ways on the field. He played Gold Glove-caliber defense -- and was a finalist for the award -- and added value on the basepaths every day.
And truthfully, the best ability is availability. Five of the Rangers’ six All-Stars -- including Seager -- landed on the injured list at various overlapping times throughout the second half of the season. Semien was the lone player on Texas’ roster to post up for all 162 games.
Kennedi Landry covers the Rangers for MLB.com.