PHILADELPHIA — The version of Marcus Semien the Mets received over the season’s first two months wasn’t very good.
An almost automatic out in the lineup deep into May, the veteran second baseman was the embodiment of underperformance for a disappointing team.
Lately, there has been a Semien resurgence. Entering Saturday’s game against the Phillies, he owned a .750 OPS for June (which included four homers) and had played a significant role in the Mets winning eight of 14 games.
“Every time I show up to the ballpark it’s, ‘How can I grind out my at-bats and help us win?’” Semien said before the game.
Semien, who arrived last winter in the trade that sent Brandon Nimmo to Texas, began the day with a .225/.283/.362 slash line — disappointing numbers for the 35-year-old former All-Star. But since late May, his OPS has jumped from .569 to .644 for a team desperately trying to remain relevant.
“I have been happy with my routine,” Semien said. “It’s become consistent as I have worked with [hitting coach] Troy Snitker in the cage. When you are new somewhere, it takes you a little while to kind of nail that stuff down. I feel for guys who move from organization to organization every year because it’s like you are creatures of habit and sometimes you do too much, too many different things, instead of focusing on something that gets you prepared for the game.”
The most problematic of Semien’s underlying metrics might be his bat speed of 68.7 mph that ranks in MLB’s 10th percentile. Even so, most of his troubles have occurred against breaking balls: He had a .150 batting average against that pitch as play began, with 31 strikeouts.
“At the end of the day, I think the ability to hit velocity and make contact with velocity … you hit a 98 mph fastball to left field, it should go regardless of the bat speed,” Semien said. “That has kind of been the way to attack it.”
Semien’s latest big hit was the two-run triple he delivered Thursday that provided the Mets insurance in their 6-4 victory over the Phillies. It was a second straight win for the Mets in what has been a seesaw season. They began the day 13 ½ games behind the Braves in the National League East.
The Mets were five games behind in the race for the NL’s third wild-card spot.
MEts merch shop
New York Post receives revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and when you make a purchase.
“We dug ourselves a little hole, but we’re getting some good players back,” Semien said. “We want to focus on the present and do everything we can and to win a series here and get some reinforcements and get on a roll.”
The No. 1 “reinforcement” is Francisco Lindor, who could be within days of rejoining the team following a two-month absence to rehab a right calf strain. The timeline is less clear on players such as Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr., both of whom have been sidelined since April.
“We are hoping all those guys who have been banged up come back and stay healthy,” Semien said. “We have got a lot of talent in this organization, a lot of talent on the high end. Some of the guys are starting to swing the bat well and if we bring that into the second half with some of the guys coming back, the sky is the limit.”