ST. PETERSBURG -- Newly hired Athletics coach Ron Washington hit the ground running at Tropicana Field on Friday, wasting no time in forging a solid working relationship with shortstop Marcus Semien.
Student and teacher met for 30 minutes in the A's clubhouse to discuss how best to address Semien's defensive struggles, then hit the infield for another 30 minutes of hands-on instruction.
"It went extremely well. He's open. He's a good kid," said Washington, who believes that improved body mechanics will have a powerful impact on Semien's throwing issues.
"That's all we worked on today," said a visibly upbeat Semien moments after the session.