After MLB spring sprint, Texas Rangers’ new stars Seager, Semien ready for marathon

The abbreviated 2022 spring training is in the books. The Rangers concluded the Cactus League with 10 wins against seven losses, but the overarching question is whether the lightning round version of spring training was enough time to lay the new foundation for last season’s AL West cellar-dwellers.

There were new faces in Arizona, starting with the new tandem of shortstop Corey Seager and second baseman Marcus Semien, who just so happen to be two of the top hitting infielders in Major League Baseball.

Texas may have reached for the stars with the amount of money they gave Seager and Semien — which is almost 50 percent of their 2022 payroll — but the organization has a specific vision about the types of players it wanted to attract.

Proven veteran talent and good-fitting locker room guys appear to be the theme. Adding players like Jon Gray, the Opening Day starter, outfielder Kole Calhoun and utility-man Brad Miller have given this team a solid mix of vets and younger players.

“They’ve brought in some veteran guys who have a track record of being leaders and great players as well,” said Semien, who was a first-year All-Star with the Toronto Blue Jays last season.

For all the new pieces who arrived at camp just about one month ago and then almost immediately moved into games just five days later, there was a rapid learning curve for their routines, relationships and overall feel for the organization.

“This spring has been different from any other spring that we’ve had just in terms of the reps and the games,” Semien said.

So how do players adjust and learn on the fly? Particularly, how do middle infielders whose chemistry is crucial to defensive success quickly develop a rapport?

“Just be around [Marcus] every day and learn how he works, how I work,” Seager said recently. “It’s a work in progress, but we’re doing a good job so far.”

In order to build that chemistry, being joined at the hip seems to be the most effective way for these two. They woud eat together, take ground balls together and hit together. They know what it takes to push each other towards greatness.

Seager has been said to treat every at-bat like a championship is on the line, whether he’s in the cage, taking cuts on the backfield or in an actual game.

For his part, Semien has been putting in extra time in the weight room, which is all a part of getting ready for the grind of a 162-game season.

Manager Chris Woodward described the two as “the most determined and focused” in what they do from day to day.

Seager, who was a first-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012, has always been viewed as “the anointed one,” as Woodward jokingly described his shortstop.

However, he doesn’t act that way. “He feels like every day he has to prove like he belongs out there,” Woodward said.

Anytime the people that make up a clubhouse share the same goals and the work ethic to achieve said goals, it can make the transition smooth.

Veteran players have the ability to help younger players find what works for them, acting as a guide for impressionable personalities.

“For me, I love the process of the game. I love the process of a big-league season. The things that I can share with them will hopefully help them stay healthy and be successful,” said the 31-year-old Semien.

Woodward, along with general manager Chris Young, have assembled a group that is willing to work, work, work.

“We have really good people in this clubhouse. All of the players are very respectful men, hard working men,” Semien said.

“I don’t have to poke and prod these guys to play hard. That’s who they are, it’s in their DNA,” Woodward said.

Semien, Seager and the rest of the players constantly talk about their routines. Routine for a baseball player is like a cup of coffee at 6 a.m. It’s how they function, it’s what they need to have a successful and productive day at the field.

Every day, the two are the first to get to the clubhouse and get to work.

Woodward has been approached many times throughout camp with anecdotes about Seager and Semien’s commitment to that philosophy.

“There are so many people who come up to me and just tell me a story,” Woodward said. “Trainers, strength coaches, security guards. Just random people come up and say. ‘Man, Corey did this today’ or ‘Marcus did that today,’” he added.

He noted how engaged the two power-hitting infielders were around the facility.

Listing some examples about Seager and Semien, Woodward said, “We had this dialogue, or I saw him talking to this young player, he pulled this young player aside.”

“Just things like that,” Woodward said. “I can’t tell you how much that impacts our organization.”

Going into a season where PECOTA doesn’t even have the Rangers cracking the 80-win threshold, both players are extremely excited about starting the season and experiencing Arlington.

“To get out there with the guys, that’s what you look forward to every year,” Seager said. “Just performing and learning from each other, and starting this trend upward.”