Manny Machado Ranked in Top-10 Of Third Baseman for 2023 Despite Down Season

The six-time All-Star is still among the elite in his position

The San Diego Padres had a down year, and that's putting it nicely. 2023 was supposed to be the year the Padres got over the hump and finish the job; instead, they endured a severely underwhelming season that saw them miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. 

The reason for their struggles was a combination of injuries and underwhelming play by their star players. One of the players who struggled quite a bit, at least by his standards, was superstar third baseman Manny Machado. Machado was not the Machado who finished second in NL MVP voting in 2022. 

Still, even though he sustained a "down year," Machado still finds himself in the top 10 of third basemans from the 2023 season. 

9. Manny Machado, San Diego Padres

Stats: 138 G, 115 OPS+, .258/.319/.462, 51 XBH (30 HR), 91 RBI, 3 SB, 2.9 WAR

The 2022 NL MVP runner-up, Manny Machado saw his OPS drop by more than 100 points this year. He still finished with the seventh 30-homer season of his career, while his 2.9 WAR ranked sixth on the San Diego Padres roster.

(via Bleacher Report)

Although it was a "down year," other players at his position wish they could post numbers like this year in and year out. The 31-year-old posted his lowest batting average since 2018, his lowest OPS since that year, and his lowest OPS+ as well. 

Injuries and the team's poor play had much to do with his struggles. However, with a new year ahead of us and a ton of hope and promise, we should see more elite Manny in 2024. 

It just goes to show how easy Manny has been making it look all these years, and we expect more of his effortless offense and defense this upcoming season.