Manny Machado Is Also Amazing

On Monday, we talked a bit about Bryce Harper, and the fact that he is making a legitimate run at Mike Trout for the title of best player in baseball. Harper is somehow building off of last year’s dominant season, and at 23, he’s taking his remarkable performance up another level. But Harper isn’t the only 23 year old superstar playing near the beltway, and remarkably, he hasn’t even been the best player in the area this year. That title belongs to Manny Machado.

Through the first couple weeks of the season, Machado ranks second in the majors in batting average (.407), fourth in on-base percentage (.467), and second in slugging percentage (.796). This across-the-board dominance means that his .530 wOBA edges out Harper’s .526 wOBA for the top spot on the leaderboard, and Machado is the primary reason the Orioles are in first place in the AL East. While he has been overshadowed by the remarkable early-career success of Trout and Harper, and to some extent by Carlos Correa’s arrival last summer, it’s important to realize just how great Machado has become.

During his first few years, Machado was a slightly above average hitter who produced most of his value on the defensive side of the ball, flashing an incredible glove at third base and hitting well enough to be a star because of his overall value. He was a fantastic player, but one in the mold of guys like Adrian Beltre or Scott Rolen, superstars who haven’t always gotten their due. Last year, though, Machado found his power stroke, launching 35 home runs on his way to becoming a legitimate all-around franchise player. His 134 wRC+ put him in the top 25 of hitters in baseball, putting him in the same range as guys like David Ortiz and Ryan Braun. Add in the defense, and well, that’s a pretty great player.

But like Harper, Machado is apparently also not done improving. As with Harper, Machado has also tapped into the value of elevating the baseball.

Only 27% of Machado’s balls in play so far have been hit on the ground, well below the mid-40% range he’s posted in prior years. And Machado is crushing the balls he hits in the air.

If this list was a top 12 instead of a top 10, you’d find Bryce Harper three spots below Machado. This is no longer a guy who is providing most of his value in the field; Machado is morphing into a legitimate slugger, just one who also happens to be a spectacular defensive player.

And this isn’t just a strong April; Machado’s been playing at one of the highest levels a player can reach for over a year now. Using the last calendar year function on our leaderboard, we can see how his performance over the last 365 days stacks up against his peers. First, sorted by wRC+, just to look at his offensive performance.

And now sorted by WAR, to give him some credit for what he does in the field too.

That list shows there’s a clear top tier, with four players on another level from everyone else. Harper and Trout get plenty of attention, given what they’ve done in their careers. Donaldson is the reigning AL MVP. But right there with them is Manny Machado, hanging out with the best the game has to offer, and more than holding his own. This guy is in that class, which is what happens when you hit like Miguel Cabrera and field like a gold glover.

Machado’s probably not going to hit .400 all year, and he’s not going to keep slugging .800, but it should be pretty clear at this point that Machado is no longer a defense-first player who hits alright too. Machado is now one of the best hitters alive, and because he’s also a tremendous fielder, that makes him one of the game’s truly elite players. Bryce Harper certainly deserves all the accolades he’s getting, but let’s not ignore what Machado is doing just a few miles north. The Baltimore-DC area currently has not two of the best 23 year olds we’ve ever seen, as Machado belongs in the conversation of the game’s best as well.