Cal Baseball: Marcus Semien Eager to Join Forces With New Teammate Corey Seager

The Texas Rangers Will Unveil a Brand New $500 Million Middle Infield Duo.

Now that baseball’s labor strife is resolved and spring training has started, Marcus Semien can begin to assimilate with his new team.

The former Cal star, who emerged as a star with the Oakland A’s then played one superb season in Toronto, begins anew with the Texas Rangers.

The 31-year-old second baseman and former Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager have become the Rangers’ $500 million double-play combination. Semien signed a seven-year deal with $175 million and Seager will receive $325 million over 10 seasons.

Semien told MLB.com's Kennedi Landry that he and Seager will work hard to show they are worth the cash.

“We're gonna be attached at the hip for the entire camp and all year,” Semien said. “That's my middle-infield partner and we’re both to be leaders on this ballclub for years to come. So I’m just getting to know him a little bit more and I'm excited.”

Texas spent the money in hopes of transforming a franchise that 60-102 last season, finishing 35 games behind AL West winner Houston.

“Nothing happens overnight,” Semien said. “My thing has always been to just be the best version of yourself. A lot of the guys in this clubhouse are early in their careers. They're just young. It takes time, but I think that there's things that myself, Corey, Kole Calhoun and the veteran guys can say to young guys to accelerate that process, and I'm excited about that.”

Semien is in the prime of his career. He finished third in the American League MVP voting last season for the second time in three years. Working on a one-year contract with the Blue Jays, he hit 45 home runs — a record for a second baseman — drove in 102 runs, scored 115 and led the majors with 86 extra-base hits.

Adaptable? Semien seamlessly moved from shortstop to second base last season and showed himself to be proficient defensively

Productive? His 7.3 wins above replacement (WAR) was best in the big leagues

Durable? He led baseball with 724 plate appearances

Seager, who turns 28 next month, has battled injuries but is elite when healthy. The 2016 NL Rookie of the Year has batted above .300 the past two seasons and has a .504 slugging percentage, high for a shortstop.

Seager says he looks forward to playing again with Semien. Again?

Turns out the two were teammates with the Glendale Desert Dogs in the 2013 Arizona Fall League. Now they’re back together at the Rangers’ spring training camp in Surprise, Arizona.

“He hasn't changed since then, with all the success he's had throughout his career, he's still the same person as he was back then,” Seager said of Semien, who played shortstop at Cal from 2009 through ‘11 . “You can really appreciate and value that, and it's gonna be fun to play with him.”

Seager said he and Semien will try to imbue their young teammates with a winning attitude.

“It's just an expectation of winning that's got to be your mindset,” Seager said. “You expect to win every day. You're gonna go out there and you're gonna do what you can to win that night.

“It's not about looking forward to how many games you're gonna win. It's about being in the moment and focusing on that day and that series, and just trying to stay as present as possible. That's the mindset you have to create.”

Semien and Seager are not only just to getting to know their new teammates, they are pretty much introducing themselves to manager Chris Woodward and the Rangers’ front office personnel.

Both players were officially signed to their new deals just hours before the lockout, so time getting to know the organization was lost.

And as one of eight members of the MLB Players Association executive subcommittee, Semien felt a responsibility for keeping his new teammates informed during the contentious labor negotiations.

He began working out with fellow Bay Area native and Rangers teammate Willie Calhoun, and used that connection to reach out to the rest of his new teammates through group texts.

"I know it's not the best introduction, to meet in a group text, but I just shared what we were going through with this union stuff,” Semien said. “This is a group that's still learning all the different nuances of the CBA.”

Semien told Chris Halicke of SI.com's Inside the Rangers that he also shared information during negotiations with his former teammates in Toronto and Oakland.

Even among players there was no unanimity when it came time to vote on the contract. The subcommittee voted unanimously against the CBA but the players reps were 26-4 in favor of accepting the offer.

All eight members of the subcommittee are old enough to have been through salary arbitration or free agency.

"We were in a labor fight at this point," Semien said. "This far along in the process and you're cutting into spring training, it starts to become a pretty big dispute on some key issues.

“There are things that we wanted to change,” he said, alluding to the concerns the subcommittee members had, “but we are all happy to be playing baseball. That's the bottom line.”

Cover photo of Marcus Semien by Matt Blewett, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo