Manny Machado in Cooperstown one day? According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the San Diego Padres’ star third baseman will almost certainly do so.
Morosi said on Tuesday during an appearance on the MLB Network that Machado, who will be 33 in July, will have the resume of a Baseball Hall of Famer once his career is over.
“He is now on pace to have the most hits by any third baseman ever through his age 32 season,” Morosi said of Machado. “He is going to pass George Brett.
He’ll pass Mike Schmidt. He will pass Adrian Beltran. “He’ll pass all the third basemen ever by that age,” added Morosi, who emphasized Machado’s Hall of Fame credentials by comparing the Padres star infielder’s resume to that of Schmidt.
“He’s about to pass Mike Schmidt, who many of us consider to be the best pure power hitting third baseman of all time, with four and five more home runs. We’re talking about one of the best third basemen ever, Morosi said.
The eligibility of certain players for the Baseball Hall of Fame is often a fun topic to discuss, which could be the case with Machado. In any case, he has had a successful career, earning six All-Star nominations, two Gold Glove Awards, and two Silver Slugger Awards.
Machado ranks fifth among all active players in the major leagues, with a career bWAR of 58.8. Those ahead of him on that list are Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Paul Goldschmidt of the New York Yankees, and Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers.
Machado’s Hall of Fame case would be strengthened if he could win a World Series, receive an MVP award, or reach 500 home runs. Staying healthy will be a huge advantage for Machado as he looks to expand his baseball resume.
