A few weeks ago, a post at FanGraphs asked whether the reader was a “Pitching Dork” a “Hitting Dork” or a “Fielding Dork.” I went with Fielding Dork, because I love watching smooth glovework on the diamond. I realized, though, that being a fan of the Baltimore Orioles really biases me in this case. I get to watch one of the best infields around day-in and day-out.
The greatness of the Birds’ infield was on display again Saturday night, as Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop, and Chris Davis combined to turn one of the prettiest double plays you’ll ever see. Watching the video on loop is fun, but I wanted to be able to sit back and watch again and again without having to press any buttons, so the situation called for a GIF.
Here we go:
From Manny’s spin, to Schoop’s flawless lightning turn, to Davis’ stretch, this double play has it all. It wasn’t even Machado’s only awesome play of the night, of course. The only Birds infielder not represented on this particular play was of course J.J. Hardy, but he has been special in his own right this season. Hardy has been “J.J.-on-the-spot” on at least two separate occasions, covering third base when opposing runners didn’t expect him to be there, surprising them with heads-up plays for key outs at third.
The Orioles infield is an absolute pleasure to watch, and has the potential to make “Fielding Geeks” out of everyone in Birdland. I can’t wait for the next incredible play.
(I also noticed this while watching it for the 20th time – Matt Wieters had no idea where that ball was hit:)
2 Responses
Thanks. I just shared this on SABR Baltimore’s facebook page.
No, thank you!