Saturday August 18th, 2012

Sam Evans: When the Orioles called up Manny Machado roughly ten days ago, reactions varied from overjoyed to disappointed. However, one thing was true of pretty much everyone’s reaction. We were all shocked. Machado, who had barely played one hundred games in Double-A, was now going to have to be relied on for the Orioles playoff push. So far, the Machado experiment couldn’t have gone any better for Baltimore.

At Double-A, Machado was having a tremendous season, despite what some of his numbers suggest. At the age of just twenty, Machado posted a 122 wRC+. While the question of whether or not he could remain at shortstop loomed, Machado received stellar reports of his range at the shortstop position.

The question regarding Machado and his future defensive position has always been if his body will allow him to stick there. Machado is currently listed at 6’2’’ 180 pounds, but the consensus is that he still has a lot of room to grow. With the Orioles so far, Machado has started all eight of his games at third base. A big demand to learn a new position, while getting called up for the first time and playing in a pennant race. All at a very young age. Current Baltimore shortstop J.J. Hardy is signed through 2014, but the Orioles could always trade him if they felt assured Machado could stick at shortstop rather than third.

The Orioles have played 119 of 162 games this year. With just forty-three games left, Machado won’t have the chance to play in more than fifty-one games this year unless Baltimore miraculously reaches the playoffs. The Orioles need Machado, and the rest of their team, to prove doubters wrong in order to stay competitive this season. The Orioles currently sit in third place in the A.L. East, seven games behind the Yankees. They are tied with Detroit for the second, and final, American League wild card spot.

There are currently six teams that are in contention for an American League wild card playoff berth. The Orioles, Rays, Tigers, Red Sox, Angels, and Athletics all are within six and a half games of the playoffs via wild card. If I had to rank these teams based on the best roster, the Orioles would probably be the fifth or sixth best team. However, if Manny Machado continues his performance, the Orioles infield could suddenly appear on par with that of the rest of these teams.

Manny Machado’s lone error in the majors this year came when he pulled Mark Reynolds off the bag with a throw coming from far behind third base. In Double-A, Machado committed twenty-two errors in 104 games at shortstop. Due to the fact that it is harder to play shortstop than third, Machado should be expected to have better fielding numbers this year at third base. Expecting Manny Machado to play league-average defense the rest of the season at third base is fair.

In just his second game since being called up, Manny Machado hit two home runs. Manny Machado has already hit one homer since then, and is slugging a cool .800. If Machado continues to hit at his PA/HR of 10.3, he would become one of the best, if not the best, power hitter in the game. Machado has power, but expecting him to keep hitting like this is insane. For the rest of the season, Machado won’t hit more than five homers, and three is an even better bet.

At Double-A this season, Machado posted a .352 OBP, thanks mostly in part to a 10.5 BB%. In a small sample size in the majors, Machado has a .355 OBP, yet just a 3.2 BB%. We have seen it before where prospects get called up to the majors and they stop drawing walks. Machado can’t be that player if he wants to help the Orioles this season. The Orioles draw walks less than twenty-one other teams in baseball. If Machado can continue to get on-base consistently, he will become one of the most valuable players on Baltimore’s roster.

Overall, Manny Machado has already earned his share of fans in Baltimore. He plays the game the right way, and he has tools that will occasionally light up the scoreboard. In the forty-three games remaining, Machado is going to have his struggles. It can’t be easy for a twenty year-old to get promoted to the majors in the middle of the team’s biggest playoff push in years, and be expected to produce every day. Especially at a new position. If Machado can give the Orioles another solid bat in their lineup, and play slightly above-average defense at third, he will be doing his part to bring baseball in October to Baltimore.

(The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com)

***Today’s feature was prepared by Sam Evans, Baseball Writer.  We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers.  You can also follow Sam on Twitter. (@RJA206)***

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