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Manny Machado
From BR Bullpen
Manuel Arturo Machado
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 180 lb.
- High School Brito Miami Private School
- Debut August 9, 2012
[edit] Biographical Information
Manny Machado was the third pick of the 2010 amateur draft, following Bryce Harper and Jameson Taillon. His cousin Albert Almora was drafted almost as highly in 2012. Machado hit .639 as a high school senior with 56 RBI and 12 homers in 86 AB, 44 of his 55 hits going for extra bases. In the 2009 Junior Pan American Games, he hit two home runs to help give the USA its first Gold ever in the event.
Machado had a commitment to Florida International University in case he did not sign, but he did come to agreement with the Birds. He played nine games in 2010, hitting .306/.359/.472 between the GCL Orioles and Aberdeen Ironbirds. Baseball America rated him as the #14 prospect in baseball going into 2011. In his first game of 2011, he went 2 for 3 with a triple for the Delmarva Shorebirds. On a fast track to the majors, he played only 38 games at Delmarva, hitting .276 with 8 doubles and 6 homers, then finished the season with the Frederick Keys of the Carolina League. Between the two stops, his batting line was .257/.335/.421 in 101 games, with 20 doubles, 5 triples and 11 homers, scoring 48 runs and driving in 50. At 18, he was one of the youngest players in high A ball that year, and Baseball America took that into account in moving him up to #11 in its ranking of prospects heading into 2012.
Manny began 2012 in AA with the Bowie BaySox of the Eastern League where he was again among the youngest players in the league. In the 2012 Futures Game, he was a backup for the US in their 17-5 romp over the World. He replaced Billy Hamilton at shortstop in the 5th. He doubled off Ariel Pena his first time up, scoring Rob Brantly and Christian Yelich, and came home on a sacrifice fly by Wil Myers. He ended their 9-run inning by popping up versus Julio Rodriguez his second trip up in the 6th. His last time to the plate, he flew out against Bruce Rondon in the 8th.
He had played 108 games, hitting .266/.350/.431 when the Orioles announced on August 8th that he was being called up to The Show. He was expected to play mainly third base in the big leagues, after being almost exclusively a shortstop in the minors, since J.J. Hardy was manning the shortstop position for the O's and playing very well, with the team in unexpected contention for a postseason berth. Team Vice-president Dan Duquette described Machado thus: "Manny should be a plus-defender, wherever we play him. He's a five-tool player, and he can help our team. I think he improves our team, and it's important here [for this club] to be strong." Wearing number 13, he made his debut on August 9th, playing third base and batting 9th in an 8-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals. He was one of his team's lone bright spots as he went 2 for 4 with a triple and a run scored. The triple was his first big league hit, achieved off Will Smith in the 5th inning; he then scored on a sacrifice fly by Nick Markakis. He made his presence even more felt in his second game on August 10th, when he hit a pair of homers and driving in four runs in a 7-1 win over the Royals. Both shots were off Luke Hochevar and landed n the left field seats at Camden Yards - in fact, both were caught by the same fan! He was the youngest player in Orioles history to have a two-homer day, beating slugger Boog Powell in 1962, and the 12th youngest major leaguer to do so. He made it three homers in his first 16 at-bats with another long ball on August 12th, although that one needed a video review before being allowed. He also had a double the previous day, and was hitting .375 with a 1.286 slugging percentage after four games. He came to Earth after that and finished his first MLB campaign at .262/.294/.445 with 7 homers in 191 AB. On October 10, he became the second-youngest player ever to homer in the postseason (following Andruw Jones); he only held the mark for two days, before Bryce Harper passed him. It was a rare bright spot in the playoffs, as he was 3 for 19 with two walks, a double and the homer overall.
In the spring of 2013, he announced his engagement to Yannie Alonso, sister of San Diego Padres first baseman Yonder Alonso.
