We all heard the hype about Manny Machado.
We heard it before the Orioles made him the third pick of the 2010 draft.
We heard the Alex Rodriguez comparisons and I’m sure many of you thought, “this kid has a chance to be special.”
I don’t know about you, but I didn’t think he could be this good this fast.
He can’t legally drink alcohol until he turns 21 in July, but Machado is already turning heads both in the field and at the plate.
With all apologies to Adrian Beltre and Evan Longoria, Manny Machado is playing third base at a Gold Glove level. He’s been so good that I think it will be hard for the Orioles to move him back to his natural position of shortstop.
At the plate, Manny is currently riding a nine-game hitting streak. He has his batting average over .300 for the season and he and Nate McClouth are currently forming a lethal 1-2 punch at the top of the batting order.
The scariest part about Machado is that in my opinion he’s only scratching the surface of what he can do with a bat in his hands. Scouts expect him to develop into a dangerous power hitter, something we haven’t really seen yet.
I’m reluctant to put too many expectations on a young player, but it is possible in the not too distant future that Manny Machado will be the Orioles’ best player.
On a roster that includes Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, and Chris Davis, that should make for a damn good baseball team.
2 Responses
But can he pitch ???????
You said it. Fantastic player. You are correct he can only get better.