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| Credit: Baltimore Sun In just his first full season in the Majors Manny Machado has made a lot of noise. He has done it with both his bat and glove and undoubtedly should be an All-Star on July 16th. He is on pace to break the single season doubles record set by Earl Webb in 1931. |
As a baseball fan you get excited about young players coming to the big leagues and making a difference, even if they don't play for your favorite team. It isn't every day that you see a rookie like Mike Trout come to the majors and almost win the American League Most Valuable Player. You don't see a rookie sensation like Bryce Harper, who hit a 500 foot home run at the age of sixteen. Now that those two guys have got all the glory it is time for Manny Machado to step into the spotlight.
As a rookie last season Machado only played in 51 games but showed some promise hitting seven home runs, along with three triples. His average wasn't great at a .262 clip but he only had a small sample size. You could say that Machado wasn't sure how he fit into that Oriole lineup last season because he was trying to do a little bit of everything. That is not the case in 2013 as Buck Showalter has put him in the two hole and he has been magnificent.
Machado went into spring training trying to find his role on this offensive heavy Oriole ball club. He wasn't really sure where he fit in. April comes around and the season starts and Machado finds himself in the two hole. The two hole is a huge spot for a young kid. He can either set the table for the offense or kill the rally. Showalter has done a great job with this club in making sure they know what their roles are and Machado has now found his.
Hitting behind Nate Mclouth and in front of Adam Jones and Chris Davis this offense could end up scoring the most runs in the league if Machado produced. That is exactly what he has done. Through 77 games this season Machado has a 3 slash line of .317/.349/.476. The .476 slugging percentage for the second batter in the lineup is just unheard of. He doesn't hit all of the home runs that all the fans like to see but he does get on base and set the table for this offense. He has an astounding 34 doubles through those first 77 games and is on pace to break Earl Webb's single season doubles record of 67 set back in 1931.
It isn't just about offense in Baltimore or for Machado for that matter. He has one of the best gloves in the American League at his position. Machado has had 242 chances at third base and has only made five errors. That is a fielding percentage of .980. Only Kyle Seager of the Seattle Mariners has a higher fielding percentage than him in the American League. He doesn't just go for the balls right at him, he plays every ball hit near him. According to baseball-reference he has the best range factor in the American League.
As you can see Manny Machado has the all around game. The numbers show that. One of the biggest numbers that prove that he is one of the best in the league is Wins Above Replacement. This stat summarizes a players total contribution to his team. In other words if a player were to get injured and be replaced by another player in the organization, how much would the team be losing. Machado (4.3 WAR) is ranked 2nd on this list only behind Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers. That just shows you that it isn't just home runs that make a team successful it is having an all around player like Manny Machado to make that happen.
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| Credit: Baltimore Sun Manny Machado showing his range, which is first in the American League. Look for him to get this Oriole team to the playoffs in October. |
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