MLB 21st century face of the franchise — San Diego Padres: Manny Machado
Since signing with the Padres prior to the 2019 season, Machado has provided something the Padres franchise never had: stable, predictable excellence.
Machado is a .280 hitter in San Diego with an excellent .855 OPS. He has 340 RBI in four seasons in San Diego, topping 100 in both 2021 and 2022.
He ran up a team-leading 6.8 WAR in 2022, following up on a 5.0 WAR in 2021.
Padres teammates will tell you something less tangible but equally important about Machado: that he’s become a team leader.
Many of his teammates credit Machado with being the unifying force that held San Diego together in 2022 when putative team star Fernando Tatis missed the entire season, first to an off-field injury and then to a PED suspension.
The Padres have reached post-season play twice in Machado’s four seasons, and they’re a favorite to do so again in 2023. They had two post-season appearances between 1999 and 2018.
In the wings: At this stage, who knows what to make of Fernando Tatis Jr. He went from a 6.6 WAR player in 2021 to invisible in 2022, and when he completes his PED suspension in late April, he’ll be exiled from shortstop to the outfield. He’s under contract for a decade and he obviously has superstar potential.
However, plenty of players with superstar potential have squandered it. Time will tell.