#HIGHFIVE | Top 5 Black & Brown MLB Players (Week 9)

#HIGHFIVE | Top 5 Black & Brown MLB Players (Week 9)

by | Jun 4, 2021 | 5TH SLOT

Marcus Semien was a man possessed throughout the entire month of May. He was in a zone that landed him the American League Player of the Month award after leading all of baseball in hits, OBP, and WAR. 

That earns him the top spot on Week 9 of our #High Five list.

 

1. Marcus Semien 

Semien made a strong case to be the American League starter at 2nd base in next month’s Summer Classic All-Star Game in Denver.  He launched eight home runs, tied for 3rd in the league with 23 runs scored, and led all of baseball with 42 hits, a 1.130 OPS. and a 2.3 WAR.

He made sure to close out the month on a high note by hitting .417 with seven runs and six walks in his last seven games.  He even extended his hit streak to 10 games after recording a hit and two runs in Wednesday’s game against Jazz Chisholm and the Miami Marlins.

 

 

The Blue Jays are migrating out of Florida and have begun playing games in Buffalo; bringing them a little closer to the Toronto faithful.  Semien will look to keep the party going a little higher up on the east coast.

 

2. Billy Hamilton

Billy Hamilton has helped bring some much-needed sauce and energy to the South Side of Chicago.  Injuries have riddled their outfield yet Hamilton’s play has been exemplary and a key reason why Chicago is holding fort atop the American League Central.

 

 

Hamilton is known for being one of the greatest base stealers of our generation but flexed his power this past weekend by hitting his first two home runs of the season in back-to-back games against Cedric Mullins and the Baltimore Orioles. He’s come a long way since his minor-league base saga.

READ NOW: Billy Hamilton Is Keepin’ It 100

Tuesday Hamilton gave us one of the most exciting plays of the year when he hit a little league home run against the Indians.  It was ultimately scored a double with a few errors, but at the end of the day, he made it around the bases with one swing.  

He crushed a ball to the right center field wall and dashed around the bases.  After a throw to the catcher was misplayed, Billy charged into home plate and scored after diving headfirst.  He earned a bloody lip and swollen face for his efforts but he needed every ounce of speed in order to get in safely.

Hamilton and MLBbro teammate Tim Anderson will lead the White as they look to dominate the Tigers during their upcoming weekend series at home.

 

3. Taijuan Walker Mets 

Taijuan Walker ranks 4th in MLB with a .184 ERA.  He’s surrendered just one run in his last 22 innings entering Thursday night against San Diego and MLBbros Trent Grisham and Tommy Pham. Fly Tai has been a consistent force almost every time out, allowing just 10 runs in 49 innings entering Thursday. If the Mets said they knew they were getting a potential Cy Young candidate when they picked up Walker to be a solid piece in the rotation, they’d be lying.

 

 

But that’s exactly how the melanated mound marauder is dealing. 

4. Tommy Pham 

Speaking of Tommy Pham, after a slow start he’s really found a groove and his veteran presence has been a big part in the San Diego Padres fight for the National League West crown early on this year.  

In his last seven games, Pham’s recorded nine hits and four RBI while posting a .321 batting average.

 

 

Last Saturday night he went 2 for 4 with two walks, a home run, two RBI, two runs scored, and got to take home the biggest gold chain in baseball, the Padres swag chain which is earned after players go deep.

5. Cedric Mullins

The Baltimore center fielder has been one of the most consistent players in baseball through the first two months.  He has hits in nine of his last 10 games with a .333 batting average during his current run.  

 

Mullins was a huge factor in the Orioles’ two-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins.  He began their game Wednesday with a leadoff triple on his way to going 2-for-4 with two runs and a stolen base.  This week he reached 100 total bases in a season for the first time in his career and he still has a long way to go.

Marcus Semien Is Getting His Roll On At The Plate

Marcus Semien Is Getting His Roll On At The Plate

by | May 8, 2021 | THE THREE SPOT

This season at the plate, Marcus Semien is getting his roll on.

The Toronto Blue Jays have their eyes on making the postseason again after an early-round exit to the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 AL Wild Card Series.

During the offseason, the team made a few moves, one of which was acquiring the power-hitting infielder. 

 

So far, Semien has put a smile on the faces of Blue Jays fans with his production throughout the season. Through the first  30 games, the 30-year old posted a .254 batting average with seven home runs and 16 RBIs. 

Let’s be real here, not too many players are seeing the ball like Semien is. On May 6, the Blue Jays took on Semien’s former ballclub, the Oakland A’s and boy did he have a game.

He went 4-for-6 with a home run, a double, and three runs scored helping the Blue Jays to a 10-4 win. 

This man has been locked in at the plate. He’s driven in a run in 12 of his last 13 games and registered four multi-hit games during that span.

 

Take a look at these stats in his last 13 games: .367 batting, three home runs, nine RBI and a 1.049 OPS.

Oh and let’s not forget that, going into Friday’s action, he was riding a six-game hitting streak to top it all off.

In an article from MLB.com, Semien talked about his success at the plate. “I feel good. I’m able to not think about mechanics as much,” Semien said. “I just think about the approach and what I’m looking for. That’s a good place to be. That’s where a lot of players want to be all the time, but sometimes it’s not there.”

His performance at the plate is rubbing off on his fellow teammates and that’s something he loves to see.

“Hitting is contagious,” Semien said. “When the whole lineup is struggling, you want to be that guy to get everybody going. That’s baseball, though. Some nights it’s there, some nights it’s not.”

Our MLBBro is playing some of the best baseball we have witnessed so far this season.

Semien has had some success during his career, especially during his time with the A’s.

During the 2018 season, he batted .255 with 15 home runs and 14 stolen bases. He was one of the best defensive players that year leading the league in assists with 459.

 


In a close race for the Gold Glove Award at the shortstop position, Semien was one of three finalists, losing out to Andrelton Simmons of the Los Angeles Angels. 

The following season, Semien turned up even more as he improved his batting average, hitting .285, with a career-high 33 home runs. He also led the majors with 747 plate appearances. 

 

At the end of the 2019 season, Semien was named to the inaugural All-MLB Second Team at shortstop and he finished third in the voting for American League MVP.

 

The Blue Jays are very fortunate that Semien agreed to move to second for Bo Bichette, a much less accomplished shortstop.

That kind of veteran leadership will be important for the Blue Jays late in the season, and if he keeps hitting how he is now, Semien will probably take some hardware home with him when the season concludes.