Jayson Stark on Manny

[Ruzious]

Manny was other-wordly defensively his first 2 or 3 years. Maybe it's because he set the bar so ridiculously high, but I've been disappointed with his defense last season and this season. He seems to take plays off sometimes and takes too many steps on some routine plays. Last night he mis-played a grounder under his glove that should have been the 3rd out - letting a run in and the middle of their lineup to keep batting with runners on base. It was ruled a hit, but those kind of mistakes really hurt a mediocre at best pitching staff.

[calmunderfire]

Manny was other-wordly defensively his first 2 or 3 years. Maybe it's because he set the bar so ridiculously high, but I've been disappointed with his defense last season and this season. He seems to take plays off sometimes and takes too many steps on some routine plays. Last night he mis-played a grounder under his glove that should have been the 3rd out - letting a run in and the middle of their lineup to keep batting with runners on base. It was ruled a hit, but those kind of mistakes really hurt a mediocre at best pitching staff.

Actually from what I've seen and heard from other buddies who are fans it's that he hasn't been all that sloppy this year besides that play last night. The difference is he's not vacuuming up everything. His defense right now is simply not that great. It's quite honestly average right now. Not poor not good, just meh. My theory is the extra weight is affecting his mobility. But it could be just a slump in the field.

[Can_of_corn]

Actually from what I've seen and heard from other buddies who are fans it's that he hasn't been all that sloppy this year besides that play last night. The difference is he's not vacuuming up everything. His defense right now is simply not that great. It's quite honestly average right now. Not poor not good, just meh. My theory is the extra weight is affecting his mobility. But it could be just a slump in the field.

Trout gained some mass and traded defense for offense and won a pair of MVPs.

[calmunderfire]

Trout gained some mass and traded defense for offense and won a pair of MVPs.

That's true. Although I don't know if Machado needs the extra mass. He's already strong enough to hit it out without this new muscle. Maybe the new size can help him hit out a few more slight mi****s, but he has enough power that he just needs to make solid contact and backspin the ball.

[Ruzious]

That's true. Although I don't know if Machado needs the extra mass. He's already strong enough to hit it out without this new muscle. Maybe the new size can help him hit out a few more slight mi****s, but he has enough power that he just needs to make solid contact and backspin the ball.

Interesting discussion. With the way fitness science has developed, maybe their's a happy medium where both strength and agility are close to maximized.

[Ruzious]

Actually from what I've seen and heard from other buddies who are fans it's that he hasn't been all that sloppy this year besides that play last night. The difference is he's not vacuuming up everything. His defense right now is simply not that great. It's quite honestly average right now. Not poor not good, just meh. My theory is the extra weight is affecting his mobility. But it could be just a slump in the field.

Good point - and I should correct myself that the sloppiness/laziness I referred to was from last year. This year, it looks like he has been focused, but he just misses some plays that he used to make.

[calmunderfire]

Good point - and I should correct myself that the sloppiness/laziness I referred to was from last year. This year, it looks like he has been focused, but he just misses some plays that he used to make.

Completely agree. Also, I don't know what the optimal size for Machado is, but if I had a guess I'd say it was what he was last year. Bigger than his rookie year, but smaller than he is now. Generally I think more muscle is better for position players because baseball is not a stamina sport. But for 3B, SS and 2B you do have to have good agility to make the tougher plays.

[El Gordo]

Actually from what I've seen and heard from other buddies who are fans it's that he hasn't been all that sloppy this year besides that play last night. The difference is he's not vacuuming up everything. His defense right now is simply not that great. It's quite honestly average right now. Not poor not good, just meh. My theory is the extra weight is affecting his mobility. But it could be just a slump in the field.

Sorry Charlie this isn't an average 3B.

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/11493214/v595874683/must-c-combo-machado-makes-two-sparkling-plays/?c_id=mlb

[calmunderfire]

Sorry Charlie this isn't an average 3B.

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/11493214/v595874683/must-c-combo-machado-makes-two-sparkling-plays/?c_id=mlb

You know this is the major leagues right? Baseball doesn't get played better. An average 3B in the majors can make some exceptional plays. He looks average now defensively compared to his MLB peers.

[BohKnowsBmore]

You know this is the major leagues right? Baseball doesn't get played better. An average 3B in the majors can make some exceptional plays. He looks average now defensively compared to his MLB peers.

And he can't hit a slider either.

[backwardsk]

You know this is the major leagues right? Baseball doesn't get played better. An average 3B in the majors can make some exceptional plays. He looks average now defensively compared to his MLB peers.

Who has made a 5-6 play at third like he did the other night?

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[Ruzious]

Who has made a 5-6 play at third like he did the other night?

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That was a special play.

I think the truth is somewhere in between. Manny ain't what he used to be at his best, but he's still an upper tier MLB 3Bman. It's just that he used to be clearly the best MLB 3Bman.

[DrungoHazewood]

His defense right now is simply not that great. It's quite honestly average right now. Not poor not good, just meh. My theory is the extra weight is affecting his mobility. But it could be just a slump in the field.

That's curious, since all of the numbers indicate he's still quite a bit above average, he's getting to as many balls as in the past, and he's still making any number of great plays.

[NCRaven]

Manny ain't what he used to be at his best, but he's still an upper tier MLB 3Bman. It's just that he used to be clearly the best MLB 3Bman.

Let me rant. Are you freakin' kidding me? You just said he "ain't what he used to be" about a 23 year-old superstar? My God, by the time he's 25 he'll be busted out of the league, at this rate.

[Can_of_corn]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/manny-machado-is-also-amazing/

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.