5 years agoMarcus Semien had a career-year in 2019 while finishing third in AL MVP voting. He did this by hitting .285/.369/.522 with 33 HR, 92 RBI, 123 R, 10 SB, and 87 BB. He set career highs in every single one of those categories except stolen bases. The major increase in power was the biggest surprise of Semien’s 2019 campaign as he had never hit more than 15 in a season aside from a 27 home run outburst in 2016. He was able to do this thanks in large part to a greatly increased barrel rate of 8.5% paired with a career-high in xSLG (.495) and Hard Hit rate of 33.2%. The real question is whether or not 2019 was an anomaly or if he can repeat it in 2020. The numbers were so far off career norms for him that it is hard to believe we will see a repeat performance, especially considering the park he plays in, but we could easily see home run totals somewhere in the low to mid-20s in 2020. He also hits atop a lineup that scored the eighth-most runs in all of baseball, so runs and RBI production will not be a problem. He currently has an ADP of 63 and is being drafted as the eighth shortstop off the board ahead of Bo Bichette and Carlos Correa. This is a reasonable spot to draft him and you can feel comfortable with the floor you will be provided, especially considering he played in all 162 games last season. It is nice to know you will not be looking for replacements very often (if at all) in daily leagues.--Kipp Heisterman - RotoBaller