On this episode of the SIS Baseball Podcast, Mark Simon is joined by Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien and Astros center fielder Jake Meyers for a pair of conversations about defensive excellence.

Marcus talks about a couple of memorable plays from the season, the hardest things about playing second base, the level of peak focus a hitter and fielder can have, and how eliminating the shift helped the Rangers right-side defense (0:32).

Jake Meyers walks us through 3 great catches he’s made this season, explaining what went into making each play. He explains the practical value of his pre-game prep and why batting practice is such an important time for him to work on his defense. And he talks about the defensive lessons he learned from his father and from Nebraska baseball coach Darin Erstad (11:13).

SIS VP of Baseball Bobby Scales also joins us for his usual segment, where he reacts to some of the things Jake said in his interview and gives his thoughts on some of the early Defensive Runs Saved leaders (21:35).

Thanks as always for listening. Please follow us on Twitter at @sis_baseball and read our work at SportsInfoSolutions.com. You can e-mail us at Mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

Links

- Marcus Semien throw-out at home

- Marcus Semien jump throw

- Marcus Semien DP turn

- Jake Meyers catch vs Owen Miller

- Jake Meyers catch vs Brandon Drury

- Jake Meyers catch vs Shohei Ohtani