The very moment that reports emerged that the New York Yankees were pursuing star free agent Manny Machado, the fan-base went up in flames.
Comments ranging from, “he’s terrible for team chemistry,” to “he would be an insane addition to the lineup” have crossed my screen far too many times. But, more often than not, it’s the former. Negativity surrounding Machado has been the primary type of comments from fans.
Why/why does Manny Machado not fit the bill for the New York Yankees?
I sympathize with the fans who are nervous, but New York could be the perfect landing spot for Machado. It’s his boy-hood team and when you put on those pinstripes, expectations are elevated, and the fans let the players know when they’re upset.
I believe Machado would thrive in the hostile environment of Yankee Stadium. He seems to be fueled by the passion and energy, despite lapses of effort and judgement. There’s no getting away from the stats and awards. Two Gold Gloves that would benefir the infield — likely for Didi Gregorius at shortstop while he rehabs from Tommy John surgery — and Manny’s bat would be stellar in an already dangerous lineup.
Just picture a lineup of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Machado staring opposing pitchers in the face. Intimidating would the operative wordfor the fear those hitters would strike into any team.
But the best part about Machado is that while he’s a slugger, he also records tons of base hits. Machado’s on-base-percentage was .367 in 2018, and he only struck out 104 times over 632 at-bats. His abilities on the field are clear, but it’s his attitude that has fans torn.
The prized third-baseman commented about an incident where he simply didn’t run to first-base:
He said via The Athletic:
“Obviously I’m not going to change, I’m not the type of player that’s going to be ‘Johnny Hustle,’ and run down the line and slide to first base and … you know, whatever can happen. That’s just not my personality, that’s not my cup of tea, that’s not who I am.
“Should I have run on that pitch? Yeah … but I didn’t and I gotta pay the consequences for it. It does look bad. It looks terrible. I look back at the video and I’m like, ‘Woah, what was I doing?’ You know, just the emotions of the game … I’m the type of player that has stayed in the zone, I’m playing and I’m just in the zone.â€
If that’s the type of player Machado is, so be it, but the bottom line is that he contributes to the success of the teams he plays on. It would be no different for the New York Yankees.