In Praise of the Macho Man

In Praise of the Macho Man

We’ve all been hearing a lot lately about how Manny Machado needs to be included in the conversation along with Mike Trout and Bryce Harper when talking about the best young players in the game. So that isn’t what I will be doing. I don’t need to convince anyone he belongs; any hardcore baseball fan knows he does. What I want to do, and despite the fact that it pains me to do so, is praise this guy for what he has been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time.

The most important thing to take into consideration when discussing Machado’s success is the fact that he is playing out of position. The guy is a shortstop who was forced to play third because of J.J. Hardy, and play the hell out of third he has. He leads the American League in fielding percentage and has by far been the best third baseman in the entire league with his range and ability to make all the throws. He is well on his way to earning his first Gold Glove Award. He has started every game for the Orioles thus far and has only made three errors. When the time comes for a move to shortstop to be possible, the Orioles would really have to give it some thought and may honestly be crazy to do it.

Machado may very well be a defensive whiz but when speaking of his game from an offensive standpoint he is just as accomplished. This guy is no Brendan Ryan or Casey Kotchman, excelling with the glove but severely lacking with the bat. Machado leads the league in at bats, hits, and doubles. In fact, ESPN Stats & Info tweeted out a gem last night discussing just what kind of prowess Machado has when it comes to hitting doubles. Through 68 games (the number of games the Orioles have played this season), in an under 22 season, only three guys have hit 30 doubles. Those guys are Manny Machado, Joe DiMaggio, and Ted Williams. That’s some pretty legendary company.

Machado is accomplishing all of this while hitting in the two hole for the Orioles, a prime spot in the order, one usually occupied by the best hitter on the team these days. Chris Davis and Adam Jones are having fantastic seasons as well, but Machado is as much a reason for that as anything else. His ability to get on base is giving them prime opportunities to drive in runs and help the Orioles achieve the third best record in the American League. Machado also leads the American League in WAR, (Wins Above Replacement for those unaware) so you know you’re having a great season when you rank ahead of Miguel Cabrera in a statistical category.

As a Yankee fan, playing against Machado and seeing him develop even further into one of the best players in the game scares the hell out of me. When he is able to accomplish all this in such a short amount of time, there’s no telling how high his ceiling is. Fans of all the other AL East teams better start doing whatever they can to help them sleep at night because the monster from Charm City will be haunting all of our dreams for the foreseeable future.

Underestimating St. Louis is a Cardinal Sin

Underestimating St. Louis is a Cardinal Sin

The New England Patriots have always been the benchmark for sports franchises looking to sustain excellence and put a winning product on the field not just now, but in the future as well. They have a smart front office, an owner willing to spend money and take chances, and a coach who knows how to put it all together in order to get the best results.

In baseball there is a team who does all those same things but doesn’t get nearly enough credit as deserved. That team is the St. Louis Cardinals. Unlike the Patriots, who have had one owner, general manager, and coach during their run of excellence, the Cardinals have had two each, which speaks volumes of their ability to maintain consistency.

This season the Cardinals are running through league en route to the best record in all of baseball. Mike Matheny, who is only in his second season managing, is the front runner for Manager of the Year. Allen Craig, who has the enviable task of succeeding Albert Pujols at first base, is among the league leaders in RBI. Yadier Molina and Matt Carpenter are number one and number four respectively in batting average. Carlos Beltran is fifth in the National League in home runs. Offensively there is not an easy out on this team, and despite a deficit, they are never out of a ballgame. The team is batting .339 with runners in scoring position which is absolute unheard of and will surely come back to Earth, but for now, this is a team to be reckoned with. However, despite all these offensive accolades, pitching is what makes the Cardinals the team to beat.

Despite injuries to Jake Westbrook and Jaime Garcia, two guys penciled into the starting rotation at the beginning of the season, the Cardinals have not missed a beat. St. Louis ranks at the top of the league in wins, ERA, shutouts, and have given up the least amount of walks. They have gotten great contribution from rookies Shelby Miller and Michael Wacha, Miller a top candidate for Rookie of the Year, and second year player Trevor Rosenthal has helped stabilize the back end of the bullpen and been one of the top relievers in the game.

All this being said and we still haven’t gotten to Matt Adams or Oscar Taveras. Adams sees limited playing time because of the depth of this team but he is a big masher capable of 30 home runs in a season if given steady at bats. Taveras, who may very well be the best hitting prospect in all of baseball is still in Triple-A because of a lack of room at the major league level.

The scouts for this team do amazing work not only recognizing talent, but also character. See, not just any player can put on the Cardinal uniform. You never hear stories of bad character guys or clubhouse cancers being a part of this organization. The days of Jocketty, Duncan, and LaRussa may be gone but the winning ways continue and show no signs of slowing down. Get ready for another winning summer in St. Louis, it’s the Cardinal way.