Marcus Semien understands the expectations in the market he is entering, but also the popularity of the player he is in essence replacing.
Traded to the Mets for Brandon Nimmo, the Gold Glove second baseman knows his value to the organization extends beyond statistics.
“I understand how good a clubhouse presence Brandon was,” Semien said on a Zoom call Tuesday, two days after the trade with Texas was finalized. “I feel for Mets fans when you lose a player who has been present and such a fixture in that lineup and in the community and has a great personality and is such a nice guy. I want to get to know the fans, get to know the community and let my game do the talking. I definitely think I will be a presence in that locker room that guys can lean on.”
Semien, 35, will be asked to help bond a clubhouse that may have fragmented last season as the Mets began plummeting in June. It’s a team that fell one victory short of the postseason, leading president of baseball operations David Stearns to decide that changing the cast was necessary.
Throughout his career — including previous stops with the White Sox, A’s and Blue Jays before arriving to the Rangers — Semien has forged a reputation as somebody who puts the team first.
Marcus Semien talks to reporters on a Zoom call introducing him as a Met.
“My style as a leader is definitely something that has evolved,” Semien said. “The one thing that has remained constant for me is leading by example with how I work. Leading by example with how I respect each member of the organization. Treat everybody like a man or a woman, whoever you are working with. I’m mostly talking about my teammates here. Respect them. Help them through times, get to know them as a person. Get to know their families, so when we go out to battle we know how each other is going to react.
“You just don’t go out there and play baseball and go home and don’t talk to anybody. You build relationships with your guys. That may mean more time off the field spent together. That is definitely something I’m very passionate about. All those things can help once we’re out there on the field.”
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Semien, who is under contract for $72 million over the next three years, brings an elite glove, but will look for recovery following a season in which he produced a slash line of .230/.305/.364 with 15 homers and 62 RBIs in 127 games. He missed the final five weeks of the season with a broken left foot and sprain from a foul ball.
The foot, according to Semien, is healed. Now he will try to remedy his offense.
“I’m disappointed in the way I performed offensively last year,” he said, noting that he’s anxious to start working with Jeff Albert and Troy Snitker, the tandem heading the Mets hitting department. “I’m looking forward to talking to [them] about what I need to do to be that MVP caliber bat in this lineup.”
Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien (2) swings at a pitch. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
As for the idea he is a winning player, Semien said he heard such talk from Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young.
“That’s what people are looking for in this industry,” Semien said. “For me, ‘winning player’ means somebody who is going to go out there every single day and give it their all, sacrifice themselves for the team, put their body on the line for the team. And go out there and play baseball and try to do the things that help you win the game.”
Semien, a father of five — the most recent arrival occurred three weeks ago — said he spoke to former Rangers teammate Max Scherzer (who has four children) about family life in New York.
“Those kinds of things, logistically, we will work out,” Semien said. “But in terms of baseball itself I couldn’t be more excited to play in a large market, play in front of a fan base that brings the energy every night, because that brings the best out of me.”