Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 26 -- Marcus Semien, Silver Slugger Infielder

We are counting down Cal’s top 50 athletes based on their careers as post-collegiate professionals. Their performance as Golden Bears is not factored into the rankings.

26. MARCUS SEMIEN

Years at Cal: 2008 to 2011

Sport: Baseball

Pro teams: Chicago White Sox, Oakland A’s, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers

Age: 34

Hometown: El Cerrito, Calif.

Why we ranked him here: Taken in the sixth round of the 2011 draft by the Chicago White Sox, Semien became an elite hitter as a middle infielder. He made his MLB debut in 2013, batting .240 in just 85 games over two seasons with the White Sox before being traded to the A’s after the 2014 season. He earned a starting job at shortstop with Oakland and in his first four seasons was solid but hardly spectacular. His breakthrough season came in 2019 when he batted .285 with 33 home runs and 92 RBIs and led the AL with 162 games and 747 plate appearances to finish third in the AL MVP voting. After playing just 53 games due to injury in 2020, Semien signed a one-year free-agent contract with the Blue Jays. He responded with career highs of 45 homers and 102 RBIs, once more leading the AL with 162 game and 724 plate appearances. And for the second time in three seasons, he finished third in the 2021 AL MVP voting. His big season landed Semien a seven-year, $175 million contract with the Rangers, who moved him to second base. In his second season, Semien once more had a big year while helping the Rangers win their first World Series. He batted .276, collected 40 doubles, 29 homers and 100 RBI and led the AL with 162 games, 753 plate appearances, 670 at-bats, 122 runs and 185 hits to finish third in the MVP voting for the third time in five seasons. He also won the Silver Slugger Award as baseball’s best hitter at his position for the second tie. Semien and the Rangers dipped in 2024 and he has struggled to get his batting average above .225 through the first half of this season. Now in his 13th year, the three-time All-Star has surpassed 1,500 hits, has 245 home runs and is approaching 1,000 career runs scored.

Marcus Semien at Cal | Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics

At Cal: Semien, whose father Damien Semien was a wide receiver for the Bears’ football team, came to Cal from St. Mary’s High School in Berkeley. He saw limited action as a freshman but was an honorable mention All-Pac-10 choice as a shortstop in 2010 when he batted .328 with four home runs and 34 RBIs. Semien batted a modest .275 as a junior in 2011 and earned no all-conference honors. But he helped the Bears to a 38-23 record and an appearance in the College World Series after a four-hit performance in the NCAA Regional-clinching win over Baylor.

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