San Diego Padres superstar Manny Machado discusses making hitting adjustments due to rapid pace of games: "Things are not just flowing right now"
San Diego Padres superstar third baseman Manny Machado hasn't exactly gotten off to a slow start this season. But he is not performing up to his own lofty expectations.
In his fifth major-league season, the 2022 National League MVP runner-up has hit .279 through 11 games but has just three RBIs and no home runs through 43 at-bats.
For a player who hit 32 homers with 102 RBIs last season, that is well off pace.
“Things are not just flowing right now. There are a lot of new things going on.”
In today’s Padres Daily: Machado talks hitting in the new world; Darvish's extended night; rotation math; bringing the bat boys + tidbits.
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Manny Machado spoke with Padres beat reporter Kevin Acee about his power drought early into the 2023 campaign. The 12-year MLB veteran wasn't looking to make excuses. But he said that the league's rule implementations — especially the pitch clock that has shaved approximately 30 minutes off of games — are taking a bit to get used to. He said:
"Things are not just flowing right now. There are a lot of new things going on right now with the pitch clock and speeding up the game a little bit. So I think that’s something that I’ve been having to make an adjustment on."
Machado was ejected from a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks last week after striking out in his first plate appearance due to a pitch clock violation.
According to Acee, Machado is chasing pitches outside the strike zone at a 38 percent rate — 10 percent higher than his career average. He has also struck out in nearly a third of his past 25 trips to the plate through Monday's game at the New York Mets.
After re-upping his contract with the Padres through the 2033 season for $350 million, Machado understands that he needs to carry a big stick for the prospective World Series contenders. He also pointed out that baseball is a game of streaks and slumps, and that he is not always going to be the one to carry the team's water. He told Acee:
"In a long period of the season, there are gonna be a lot of ups and downs and be a lot of times where different guys are going to have to step up and carry the team. I think we’re showing that now."
Track record suggests Manny Machado will bounce back
Manny Machado owns a .281 career batting average to go with 283 home runs and 856 RBIs through his dozen seasons in the big leagues that began in 2012 with the Baltimore Orioles. He has finished in the top five of the MVP voting four times over those 12 years. History suggests that Machado will find his power stroke again soon.