Manny Machado in 2014

[webbrick2010]

Manny Machado in 2014???

Manny?s OPS+ is now 100 (replacement level), after posting a 98 in 2012.

Worse he has posted a .240/.267/.373/.640 since Jul 2nd.

Obviously he has worn down and/or the league has made adjustments.

We need Manny to be an all star cornerstone of the franchise and yet his OPS of .750 (and sinking rapidly) does not really stack up well at 3B, where he is only 9th in the majors.

So is he a .260/.300/.400 JJ Hardy type hitter that needs to be moved to SS to be considered near the top of his position or will he have a more even offensive season and hit .290+

It really scares me that his walk rate is so low? and he seems to be trying to pull everything.

Right now batting him second is even worse than JJ Hardy was last year.

At any rate I think the O?s will hold off on any extension for at least another year.

[waroriole]

Are you clueless enough to think that 100 is replacement level?

100 is league average.

[flashjordnk]

Are you clueless enough to think that 100 is replacement level?

100 is league average.

For the win . Also I'm sure someone will briefly chime in about players under 22 playing at league average levels. But I loved this post.

[clapdiddy]

I'm pretty sure he will continue to swing at the bad slider!

Manny has definitely regressed due to adjustments/fatigue, but I still think he's going to be a .280/.320/.450 guy who plays great defense. I think he'll be better than that in a few years.

[waroriole]

I'm pretty sure he will continue to swing at the bad slider!

Manny has definitely regressed due to adjustments/fatigue, but I still think he's going to be a .280/.320/.450 guy who plays great defense. I think he'll be better than that in a few years.

I see that as his floor. If he starts to fill out, and those flyouts and 2B turn into HR, he's going to be a superstar.

[Tx Oriole]

I'm pretty sure he will continue to swing at the bad slider!

Manny has definitely regressed due to adjustments/fatigue, but I still think he's going to be a .280/.320/.450 guy who plays great defense. I think he'll be better than that in a few years.

I am really not worried about Manny. What he does next season is not an issue to

me. I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

[hendu]

I'm pretty sure he will continue to swing at the bad slider!

Manny has definitely regressed due to adjustments/fatigue, but I still think he's going to be a .280/.320/.450 guy who plays great defense. I think he'll be better than that in a few years.

Yeah, a .770 OPS in his prime will be a disappointment to me.

[El Gordo]

I'm worried. He is getting married in the offseason IIRC. Look what happened to Nick after he got married.

[calmunderfire]

This is exactly why I said giving him a 10 year contract and breaking the bank would be absurd. Just completely moronic. Let's find out if he can actually hit.

Give teams 162 games worth of slider chasing and no plate discipline to analyze on video.

Then see what happens in 2014 and while were at it let's see what happens in 2015.

He couldn't be farther away from being a proven offensive player. That's not his fault, but his lack of service time really.

[Frobby]

This is exactly why I said giving him a 10 year contract and breaking the bank would be absurd. Just completely moronic. Let's find out if he can actually hit.

Give teams 162 games worth of slider chasing and no plate discipline to analyze on video.

Then see what happens in 2014 and while were at it let's see what happens in 2015.

He couldn't be farther away from being a proven offensive player. That's not his fault, but his lack of service time really.

The idea of giving him a 10-year contract now is so that you wouldn't break the bank, compared to what he'll likely cost if we wait and he develops as we expect. There has to be both risk and reward in any deal like that. But I certainly agree with you that Manny's struggles the last few months highlight the downside to inking a long-term deal now.

It's all a matter of money. 10 years, $30 mm? Done, and it's a no-brainer. 10 years, $100 mm? Probably not a deal you'd do right now. But somewhere between $30 mm and $100 mm, there is a 10-year deal that would make sense for both sides if the O's had an appetite for some risk and Manny had an appetite for long-term security.

[vab]

Manny will be fine. The kid has never played a full major league season, he's probably dog-tired and they're pitching him tougher now that the scouts have broken him down. Let him grow up.

[sportsfan8703]

The kid just needs to improve his pitch recognition and hitting approach. Hopefully those things will naturally get better with age. It would be ideal for the team to sign a vet with a patient/selective approach not only to help the lineup but to able to show a different approach to young players rather than the guys that have the "want to".

[Malike]

I do find it hilarious that the kid is approaching 200 hits at 21 in his first full season and we should "wait to find out if he can hit". You can't make stuff like that up, it's pure gold.

[calmunderfire]

I do find it hilarious that the kid is approaching 200 hits at 21 in his first full season and we should "wait to find out if he can hit". You can't make stuff like that up, it's pure gold.

Who leads the AL in outs made by a mile? You see any 1 stat can be thrown out there.

[El Gordo]

]Who leads the AL in outs made by a mile[/b]? You see any 1 stat can be thrown out there.

Good question. That would be the person with enough PA to qualify for the batting title, with the lowest OBP. Somehow I don't think .313 OBP is the lowest. It's not even the lowest on the team. Do you have any idea of what you are talking about?