How Good is Marcus Semien for Rangers Right Now?

A detailed breakdown of how the Rangers second baseman has turned his season since that grand slam in Oakland in late May.

Just how hot is Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien right now?

Entering Saturday’s game with his former team, the Oakland Athletics, Semien has three straight multiple-hit games. But that doesn’t even begin to tell the story of how he’s turned around his season.

You could argue the turnaround began in Oakland on May 28 when he finally hit his first home run of the season, a grand slam. That home run was a long time coming.

In July, Semien is batting .297/.366/.568/.934 with five home runs and 12 RBI in 18 games. In July, Semien is one of just six Major League players with minimums of a .295 batting average, .930 on-base plus slugging, five home runs and 12 RBI.

The others are the New York Yankees’ Matt Carpenter — who was in the Rangers system until late May — the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman, Toronto’s Teoscar Hernandez, Atlanta’s Austin Riley and teammate Corey Seager.

Semien now has 22 multi-hit games, tied for the team lead with Nathaniel Lowe.

But if you go back to June 5, Semien has been one of the best hitters in the American League. He’s batting .311/.368/.567/.935 with 11 home runs, 26 RBI and 28 runs in his last 40 games.

Semien is among the AL leaders in the following categories since June 5 — 93 total bases (first), 2.3 fWAR (second), nine stolen bases (tied for second), .567 slugging percentage (fifth), 11 home runs (tied for fourth), 51 hits (fourth), 28 runs (tied for sixth) and .935 on-base plus slugging (seventh).

Finally, Semien has made a home on the road lately. He’s batting .381 with a 1.080 slugging percentage in his last 10 road games, dating back to June 28, and he’s slashing .322/.377/.523/.901 with seven home runs, 24 RBI and 24 runs in his last 37 road games dating back to April 24.

It took a little while, the Rangers are getting what they paid for.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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