Padres News: Manny Machado's Monday Outing Reminded Teammates of Historic 2022 Season
The 2023 season definitely has not been the kindest to Manny Machado. His future with the team was up in the air for a while heading into Spring Training as it was not clear whether the Padres' front office would comply with the extension he was looking for.
However, they gave the man his money and secured him as their leader for the next decade. San Diego has gone through a number of roadblocks in this new era with numerous big names on their roster and Machado has already dealt with his fair share. There was the initial adjustment to the pitch clock that dropped his numbers all across the board, his hairline fracture, and the fact that the Friars are down in the NL West race.
But this is why the franchise opted to give the 30-year-old star the massive contract they did. They saw how he lifted the team up in 2022 when nobody believed in them and carried them all the way to the NL Championship series. He's had numerous seasons where he starts off slow and then gets back to superstar form and many of his teammates believe that Machado's Monday performance against the Cubs will indeed be his turnaround point.
The Spark The Friars Always Look To
Even though the Padres have been getting positive contributions from the bottom of their lineup thanks to guys like Rougned Odor and Ha-Seong Kim making huge plays, they are just a whole different team when Manny is making plays.
He was able to hold down the defense like always and played a big role in Chicago scoring zero runs. He also garnered three hits and scored three runs en route to their 5-0 victory. Machado had initially scared fans when he revealed that his injury may never heal for the rest of the season but he sure looked great yesterday.
And Machado shared that he finally feels healthy.
“I feel good, Machado said. “I mean, I’m healthy, and I think that’s honestly the only thing you could ever ask for. This game is so hard in so many different ways, so you just ask for health. I’m feeling good right now … so I’m able to go out there and just compete.”
(Via MLB.com)
Considering that the Friars have themselves another scary situation with Xander Bogaerts and his wrist, Machado will have to continue stepping up like he did on Monday.
His Padres teammates and team manager felt like they hopped in a time machine to last season seeing him dominate like this.
“We saw it last year,” said Jake Cronenworth. “Everybody in this clubhouse felt he was the MVP last year, and there was a reason for that.”
(Via The San Diego-Union Tribune)
“He’s our guy,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Last year, he was the reason, pretty much, we got to where we went. ... He has the ability to do that.”
(Via The San Diego-Union Tribune)
Next up is the Seattle Mariners... we'll see you guys tonight!
