Notes:
- League-average WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) is around 1.24; anything LOWER is good anything HIGHER is not good
- League-average ERA (earned run average) is around 3.77; anything below is GREAT anything above is NOT great
- Slash line is a colloquial term used to represent a player’s batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage (in that order).
Throughout sports, it has often been said that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in all of sports. However, Manny Machado, the current 3B for the San Diego Padres, has made hitting a baseball look like the easiest thing to do this season. The former 1st round pick in 2010 has been mashing baseballs and looks to be unstoppable at the plate. Through the first quarter of the 2022 MLB season, Manny Machado is the favorite to win this year’s NL MVP Award. Here’s why…
On the season, Machado is hitting .361/.437/.590 with 8 HRs, 27 RBIs, and a 1.027 OPS. Also, Machado leads the league in total hits, OBP (on-base percentage), is 3rd in the league for OPS, and 2nd in the league for BA (batting-average). These numbers are extremely good considering that the MLB league average slash line is .237/.309/.382 and .691 is the league average OPS. Machado has been even hotter as of late. In the past 7 days, Machado is slashing .400/.455/.700 while scoring 7 runs off of 12 hits (5 of which were extra-base hits). Making contact with a baseball, let alone getting a hit, is difficult but Machado has been making it look all too easy this season.
While Machado’s barrel %, hard-hit %, and exit velocity have all gone down from last season, his first pitch swing%, BB%, and WOBA have all gone up this season. Machado’s first-pitch swing % is most notable (up 5.5% from last season) which has greatly contributed to Machado’s hits and BA. Machado has always been known as a pull-hitter, meaning that most of his hits are pulled to the left side of the field. However, this season, Machado is notably driving the ball more to the right side of the field (particularly towards first base). Below are two charts illustrating the percentage of where Machado’s hits have been. The chart to the left displays Machado’s spray chart for the 2022 season and the one to the right displays Machado’s spray chart for his whole career.
One important offensive statistic in baseball is WOBA. WOBA stands for weighted on-base average. WOBA is a statistic, based on linear weights, designed to measure a player’s overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. This season, Manny Machado has a career-high WOBA of .440 which puts him in the top 1% of the league. Below is a graph of Machado’s WOBA throughout his career and you can see a huge peak for the 2022 season. Also included in the graph is the league average WOBA and it can be seen that Macahdo’s WOBA is significantly higher than the league average. This is a huge statistical category that explains Machado’s surge towards the NL MVP.
In terms of projections for the rest of the season, Machado has an xBA of .306 which is in the top 10% of the league, and has an xWOBA of .383. Currently, Manny is on pace to hit around 32 home runs this season as well. Manny’s elite hitting skills at the plate should keep him in the NL MVP conversation for a long time and if he keeps raking, he should undoubtedly earn the NL MVP trophy. While hitting a baseball is super difficult, Manny Machado has been doing it with ease all season long and shows no signs of slowing down.
Matthew Suh is a staff writer and contributor for Talking Points Sports. While Matthew covers football, basketball, and baseball he tends to focus on writing about the MLB and baseball Questions about the MLB or baseball? Follow or DM Matthew on Twitter @matthewsuh for inquiries. Be sure to follow @TalkingPointsSports on Twitter for the latest sports content!
