Author: Spener Reyes
Players like Shohei Ohtani, Vlad Jr., and Gerrit Cole have taken the reigns of fan popularity this season. All three superstar athletes have had a stellar year, but if fans can look past these studs, they might find a couple of diamonds in the rough. These two baseball powerhouses go by the names of Marcus Semien and Salvador Perez, the unofficial, official, unsung heroes of the 2021 MLB season.
Marcus Semien is having one of the best seasons of his career at the age of 31 years old! Prior to 2021, he signed a 1 year/$18M deal with Toronto, making it his 3rd professional team in the MLB. This was also coming off one of his worst years during the 2020 Covid season. No one expected him to play well, especially when the Blue Jays were set to come back with a young group of infielders. Most fans wondered how Semien would fit with Vlad, Bo Bichette, Biggio, and Rowdy Tellez. Well, Tellez spent most of the beginning of the season in AAA-Buffalo when Vlad was moved to first base. Cavan Biggio was injured for majority of the season, and Bo was slotted for shortstop, so that left a clear opening at second base for the 9-year veteran. As of right now, Semien is tied with Whit Merrifield for the most games played in the MLB this season, with 158, has the 2nd most at bats, is 5th place in runs, 6th in doubles, and 4th in home runs. The starting 2nd baseman is as underrated as it gets. The only fans that have given him the accurate rating have been Blue Jays fans. Semien has proven to the Blue Jays that he is worth resigning to a multi-year deal this offseason.
Salvador Perez has had a hell of a comeback story. Dating all the way back to 2019, Perez has had nowhere to climb but up. He was out for majority of 2019 with an elbow injury, which required Tommy John surgery. In 2020, he contracted covid, had another arm injury, couldn’t see out of his eyes, and still batted .333 with 11 HRs and 32 RBIs in 37 games. He received the AL Comeback Player of the Year award last season and hasn’t looked back since. He made the all-star game this year, participated in the home run derby, and as of right now, he is tied for the second most played games this season, and leads the league in HRs and RBIs. He currently has 48 home runs which is almost two times the amount he has had in any season in his career.
Perez and Semien are the definition of two 31-year-old underdogs. They provide so much talent to their respective teams and show that age is just a number, especially for two athletes playing the most games in the league in a season at grueling defensive positions. Fans won’t be able to see Perez in the playoffs this year, but it should be exciting to see what Semien can do if the Blue Jays clinch a spot in the Wild Card race against New York, Boston, or Seattle. Cheers to a great season, and great health to two studs!
SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE
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