1. Manny Machado
.344/.394/.667, 7 HR, 16 RBI, 1.6 WAR (as of 4/30)
This marks Manny Machado‘s fifth season with the Baltimore Orioles, so it’s easy to forget that he is still only 23 years old. In that time he has become one of the best third baseman in all of baseball, with both the bat and glove.
Machado put up MVP-type numbers last season (.861 OPS, 35 HR – finished fourth in voting) but so far he appears determined to make sure 2016 is his year. He is currently second in the AL in batting average, behind Detroit’s Nick Castellanos (.363). He leads the Junior Circuit in slugging percentage and paces both leagues with 64 total bases.
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Machado is a big reason why the O’s are 14-9 and currently sit atop the AL East, a perch not many thought they would claim this early. Look for him to remain a strong MVP contender throughout the campaign, and expect Baltimore to do everything in its power to lock him up to a long-term deal.
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