Marcus Semien of the Rangers named American League Player of the Week presented by Chevrolet; Eddie Rosario of the Nationals named National League Player Of The Week presented by Chevrolet

Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien has been selected the American League Player of the Week presented by Chevrolet, and Washington Nationals outfielder Eddie Rosario has been named the National League Player of the Week presented by Chevrolet. The announcements were made earlier today on MLB Network.

Semien earned his first Player of the Week Award as a Ranger and his second overall after last winning as a member of the Oakland Athletics on June 10, 2019. It is the first honor for Texas since Semien’s double play partner Corey Seager won last year on June 5^th. Rosario claimed his third career honor and first since joining the Nationals after previously winning on August 21^st of last year as a member of the Atlanta Braves, and on August 14, 2017 as a member of the Minnesota Twins. The award marks the Nationals’ first since CJ Abrams won last season on July 17^th.

*Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers*

• The 33-year-old hit .419 (13-for-31) with two homers, seven RBI, one double, two walks, eight runs scored and a .441 on-base percentage in seven games last week.
• The California native led Major League hitters in total bases (20); tied for the Major League-lead in hits (13); ranked second among AL hitters in runs scored; fourth in batting average, eighth in OPS (1.086); and tied for eighth in on-base percentage.
• The two-time All-Star matched a career-high with four hits on Tuesday at Oakland, leading off the game with his 27^th career leadoff home run. He contributed to the Rangers’ 10-run second inning with an RBI single and a two-run double. The second baseman finished his day with a season-best five RBI, two short of his career-high mark of seven RBI, set on August 26, 2019, at Kansas City.
• The reigning World Series Champion recorded three consecutive three-hit games at Oakland, beginning with his four-hit game on Tuesday, followed by three hit games on Wednesday and Thursday. He finished the series against his former team batting .500 (10-for-20) with two homers, six RBI, seven runs scored and a 1.374 OPS.
• The two-time Silver Slugger has appeared in 336 consecutive games since May 13, 2022, marking the third-longest streak in Rangers’ history behind Mark Teixeira (507 G) and Alex Rodriguez (482 G). Semien’s current streak is the second-longest in MLB behind only Matt Olson, who has appeared in 495 consecutive games with the Athletics and the Braves since May 2, 2021.

Eddie Rosario, Washington Nationals (@e_rosario20)

• The 32-year-old hit .467 with three homers, five RBI, one double, five walks, seven runs scored, three stolen bases, a 1.133 slugging percentage and a .600 on-base percentage in five games last week.
• The Puerto Rico native led the NL in slugging and on-base percentage; tied for the NL lead in home runs and total bases (17); ranked second in batting average and runs; and tied for second in stolen bases.
• The 2021 World Series Champion hit safely and scored a run in all five of his games last week, recording multiple hits and runs scored on Wednesday against Baltimore and Friday at Boston. It was his first time with multiple hits in consecutive games since his three-game stretch from September 6-8, 2023.
• The 2021 NLCS MVP homered in back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday at Boston, marking the first time he has homered in two consecutive games since he hit a home run in a career-high four straight games with the Braves last year from June 14^th-18^th. His five homers this season are tied with Nick Senzel for second-most on the Nationals behind only CJ Abrams, who has seven roundtrippers.
• The 2010 fourth round selection in the MLB Draft has hit safely in seven straight games, over which he is batting .455 (10-for-22) with four homers, seven RBI, a double, six walks, 10 runs scored, four stolen bases, a 1.045 slugging percentage and a 1.616 OPS.

Other noteworthy AL performances last week included outfielder Max Kepler (.400, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 6 2B, 1 BB, 6 R, .760 SLG) of the Twins; first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.500, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 2 R, .545 OBP) of the Toronto Blue Jays; Semien’s infield teammate, Ezequiel Duran (.500, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 4 R, .545 OBP) of the Rangers; infielder Abraham Toro (.406, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 2B, 1 BB, 5 R), catcher Shea Langeliers (.350, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 BB, 4 R, .850 SLG) and designated hitter Brent Rooker (.393, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 2B, 4 BB, 7 R, 1 SB, .679 SLG) of the Athletics; starting pitcher Luis Gil (2-0, 0.75 ERA, 2 GS, 12.0 IP, 4 H, 8 SO) of the New York Yankees; and Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo (1-0, 1.84 ERA, 2 GS, 14.2 IP, 1 BB, 17 SO), who tallied a career-high 12 strikeouts on Sunday.

Other noteworthy NL performances for the week included starting pitcher Yu Darvish (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 GS, 12.0 IP, 2 BB, 12 SO) of the San Diego Padres; catcher William Contreras (.400, 3 RBI, 4 2B, 6 BB, 8 R, .516 OBP) and first baseman Rhys Hoskins (.238, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 4 BB, 3 R, .667 SLG) of the Milwaukee Brewers; designated hitter Charlie Blackmon (.471, 8 RBI, 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 BB, 5 R, .765 SLG) of the Colorado Rockies; outfielder Nick Castellanos (.348, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 2B, 2 BB, 5 R, .739 SLG) and infielder Bryson Stott (.438, 6 RBI, 2 2B, 1 3B, 5 BB, 5 R, .545 OBP) of the Philadelphia Phillies; outfielder Cody Bellinger (.364, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 2B, 2 BB, 3 R, .727 SLG) of the Chicago Cubs; and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (.471, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1 2B, 3 BB, 3 R, .882 SLG, .550) of the Braves.

ELECTRIC PLAY OF THE WEEK PRESENTED BY CHEVROLET
Incredible Leaping Catch by Max Schuemann of the Oakland Athletics
May 8th at the Oakland Coliseum – Watch It Here

Shortstop Max Schuemann of the Oakland Athletics earned his first career Play of the Week Award, and the sixth overall honor for the A’s. Other winners from Oakland include Tony Kemp, who is the A’s only multi-time winner and won Oakland’s most recent award on May 16, 2022; as well as Matt Chapman, Elvis Andrus and Ramón Laureano. With one out and the game tied in the fourth inning, with the go-ahead run on second base, Andrew Knizner hit a line drive towards left field as Schuemann ranged back and robbed the hit with a full-extension diving catch. Additional Play of the Week candidates included George Springer’s diving catch in foul territory; Brett Baty’s leaping catch over the tarp; Ian Happ's leaping catch at the wall; Nico Hoerner’s run-saving catch; Brice Turang’s leaping snag for the double play; Tobias Myers’ great off-balanced throw to first; and Bryan Reynolds’ diving catch in extras.