Manny Machado Topic

The .350+ OBP is absolutely fine, I just question whether it is sustainable without better plate discipline.  He's only 20 so he can go anywhere from here, I hope it's up.
6/19/2013 9:12 AM
Walks are good, but can be overrated. What's better: a .280 BA with a .350 OBP or a .320 BA with a .350 OBP? I'll take the second guy, because he's likely getting more bases. Machado is a bit of a free swinger, but he puts the ball in play, unlike Jones, who continues to flail at pitches he can't possibly hit.
6/19/2013 1:39 PM

If you're just going to trade a walk for a hit, sure, I'd take that.  I'm not saying a walk is better than a hit but the value difference between a walk and a hit is a lot smaller than the difference between a walk and an out and non-walks are outs a lot more often than they are hits.  Right now, Machado's batted balls are going for hits at a rate he probably can't keep up.  If his average on balls in play falls to .320 the rest of the year, still very good but below his current .370, his AVG/OBP the rest of the year are probably closer to .280/.320 than where they are now.  A few more walks can help him at least maintain his OBP.  Maybe he's just seeing a lot of strikes, though, and will continue to see them and keep punishing them.

6/19/2013 3:53 PM
He's in a good spot in the lineup. McLouth really disrupts pitchers if he gets on, and Markakis hits behind him. I think Markakis and McLouth are 1-2 right now in the AL in terms of hardest to strike out.
6/19/2013 11:03 PM
1. Markakis (BAL) 10.5
2. Infante (DET) 10.2
3. Keppinger (CHW) **10.1
4. Aybar (LAA) **11.9
5. Beltre (TEX) 8.8
6. Suzuki (NYY) 8.7
7. Escobar (KCR) 8.7
8. Crisp (OAK) 8.4
9. Hardy (BAL) 8.3
10. McLouth (BAL) 8.0
6/20/2013 8:05 AM
Markakis Mclouth and Hardy are all in the top 10.
6/20/2013 8:06 AM
Didn't realize McLouth was that low. I must have been thinking 2nd on the O's.
6/20/2013 11:38 AM
Honestly, I wish the O's broadcasters would quit mentioning Markakis being the hardest hitter to strike out in baseball this year.  He's just swinging more, and I don't really think it's making him a better hitter.  He's 35% below his career K rate, yes, but he's also over 20% below his career walk rate.  I don't think that's a net positive - the marginal cost of a K vs. a contact out is fairly small, but the marginal value of a walk vs. a ball in play for anybody not named Ruth or Bonds is fairly substantial.

As far as Machado goes, his walk rate isn't high, but he doesn't have a high swing rate on balls out of the strike zone.  He's an aggressive hitter, but he isn't swinging at bad pitches.  I would love him to draw more walks - I was the guy that initially brought the subject up.  But I will say, in his defense, that he is being aggressive within the strike zone.  Does he swing at more close pitches on 2-1 and 3-1 counts than I would prefer, when he still has a strike to play with and might be able to get a better pitch or even draw a walk?  Absolutely.  But it's not the same as Jones, who consistently gets himself out on balls out of the strike zone.
6/20/2013 3:07 PM
  I am very impressed by Machado.  Let's wait a little . But i like what i see so far.
7/5/2013 3:44 PM
Unreal play today. Might be the defensive play of the year. Threw Cruz out at first off his back foot in foul territory. Cruz was stunned.
7/7/2013 4:52 PM
Well, he kicked it into foul territory. 
7/7/2013 5:57 PM
It's not like he was standing still when he booted it. Even if he fielded that cleanly, he would have been throwing from foul territory. Just not as far into foul territory.
7/7/2013 7:16 PM
But also earlier...  It's a great throw, but it's ridiculous to say it's the defensive play of the year.  That's the same kind of logic that makes Jeter a gold glover.  Just because you can make a play harder than it had to be and make a great throw doesn't make the play better...
7/7/2013 7:26 PM
Honestly, the best defensive play I saw him make this weekend was a bunt by Gardner.    No room for error and he did everything right.
7/7/2013 7:46 PM
Posted by dahsdebater on 7/7/2013 7:26:00 PM (view original):
But also earlier...  It's a great throw, but it's ridiculous to say it's the defensive play of the year.  That's the same kind of logic that makes Jeter a gold glover.  Just because you can make a play harder than it had to be and make a great throw doesn't make the play better...
I disagree simply because if Cruz is safe, it's a hit, not an error. It's not like Manny booted a routine grounder. He went to his right, the ball kicked off his glove, then has the presence of mind to recover, grab the ball and make an incredible throw. The kid has got incredible awareness on the field.
7/7/2013 8:09 PM
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Manny Machado Topic

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