Backup Infielder Manny Machado (with Orioles from 2012-present)
.284/.333/.477, 608 G, 2675 PA, 117 OPS+ (with Orioles)
Machado was the #3 overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft and he quickly moved through the Orioles’ minor league organization. He got to the big leagues as a 19-year-old in 2012. His first all-star game and Gold Glove award came in 2013. He also finished ninth in the voting for AL MVP. An injury caused him to play just a half season in 2014, but he came back strong the last two years and made two more all-star teams and won another Gold Glove.
Right now, Manny Machado is in the mix with a large group of players who could be chosen for the Orioles’ bench. He doesn’t yet have the win value of Melvin Mora or Rafael Palmeiro and is only slightly ahead of Doug DeCinces. He’s coming off two very good years, though. In fact, Machado has been among the best players in the league in every full season he’s played. And he’s only 24 years old. He has two years before free agency, so he should easily pass Melvin Mora in career value by that time. He would have to sign a long-term deal to remain in Baltimore in order to bump Brooks Robinson out of the starting spot at third base, but that doesn’t seem likely to happen.
A recent article at the Washington Post suggested that the new CBA will enable the Yankees to open up their wallets and sign the best players available after the 2018 season. One of those players could be Manny Machado. Author Mark Feinsand wrote, “According to a source familiar with the terms of the new CBA, the deal should be ‘very good’ for the Yankees, who stand to see their revenue sharing contribution reduced and a chance to—finally—get their payroll beneath the luxury tax threshold.” He envisioned a Yankees team with Manny Machado at third base, Bryce Harper in right field, and Matt Harvey on the bump. The New York Daily News added to Orioles’ fans fears with a Photoshopped cover featuring Machado and Harper in Yankees pinstripes.
What a nightmare that is. There has been only one third baseman in the history of the game who was been worth more WAR through the age of 23 than Manny Machado. That player is Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews. Machado is on the right path. Whether he continues down that path as a Baltimore Oriole after 2018 remains to be seen.