4 bold Padres predictions for the 2023 season
By Tim Boyle
2) Bold Padres prediction: Manny Machado has a “down” year
On the topic of MVPs, Manny Machado almost won one last year. He finished behind only St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Settling for second-place should add extra motivation for Machado. Unfortunately, lesser results could always get in the way.
What could be considered “down” for Machado is still very good for most players. He has consistently hit for power since joining the Padres. He has, however, been less brilliant in other areas.
Matching last year’s numbers will be a tough challenge for Machado. He can do it. There’s nothing other than his uptick in strikeouts that immediately stands out as a reason for why he could struggle a bit more in 2023.
Fanning 133 times last year in 644 plate appearances gave him a career-worst strikeout rate of 20.7%. His hard hit percentage was down, too, from 52.3% the year prior to 49%. Is this the sign of a season-long slump? Hardly.
Instead, this prediction for this star is more about what he has done in the past. His first year with the Padres included a .256/.334/.462 slash line with 32 home runs and 85 RBI. Something more like this than what he gave the team in 2022 could happen. It’s hard to imagine him being this brilliant. Machado has played a lot of baseball since 2015. With 150+ games in each full season since and all 60 games in 2020, he may begin to feel the grind of the long season in his bones a little more.