O's get Machado
Well, the first round of the MLB first year player draft has come and gone, with the Orioles selecting Shortstop Manny Machado right out of high school from Miami Brito High School. At 17 years young, Machado has the raw skill and ability that any major league team is looking for at the shortstop position. He wasn’t on the board long either, going third overall to the Birds. He is also very versatile, as he is able to play third and even pitch, and the Orioles are not afraid to move him around if need be.
If he lives up to expectations, Machado will be one of the most dominant SS we will see in a long time, drawing direct comparisons to fellow Dominican Alex Rodriguez of New York. Now, his goal is to follow in the footsteps of one of the game’s greatest: fellow Baltimore shortstop Cal Ripken Jr.
Machado’s stats for the year for Brito are just plain ridiculous: batting .639, with 12 dingers and 56 runs batted in. And that was only in 29 games. Just to put that into perspective: he got a hit every 6 out of 10 plate appearances, and homered in almost every other game. He signed to play with Florida International University next year, but the Orioles felt he could come to the majors straight away. And with those numbers, I don’t blame them one bit. Those are staggering statistics to put it lightly.
If Machado can live up to even just half of his expectations, the Orioles will have at least one half of a solid middle infield for a very, very long time. And I for one, hope he does.