Forget the Comparisons

I am sick of seeing Manny Machado compared to other players. I understand that baseball, as a game, is obsessed with numbers for the sheer purpose of giving us a metric by which to evaluate and compare great (and in the case of Mr. Mendoza, not so great) performance. But baseball’s talking heads (both locally and nationally) have gotten lazy when it comes to Manny Machado – they are unable to discuss his game without constantly reminding fans of other players who might be comparable.

The Brat Pack

Hey, just in case you forgot, Manny is only 20 years old, and there are two other high-profile MLB stars in their early 20’s.  Whenever Machado makes a great play, or collects a timely hit, baseball media insists on putting the feat into Troutian or Harperian context.

Can we just stop it with all that? Manny is not in that category of player. Yes, he is young and exciting, but he is not as complete a player as those guys, yet. Harper and Trout are legit MVP candidates, whereas Machado is a burgeoning star. When did “burgeoning star” stop being good enough? Why does he have to be better than, or belong in the same class as those guys? Why does it matter if he is 2nd or 3rd or 6th among an arbitrary sampling of players in the game today?

A-Rod

Alex Rodriguez was one of Manny’s boyhood icons (in much the same way that Rodriquez looked up to Cal Ripken). So naturally, we’ve latched onto that story, and drawn comparisons. And some of them are very logical: a Latin-American player, with good size for a shortstop and serious power potential. I can see the similarities. But there are a lot of guys with that potential who never put together a hall of fame resume like Alex Rodriguez. Isn’t it a little unfair to be calling for HOF expectations for a guy who hasn’t even played a full season?

Then there’s the PED stuff. Alex Rodriguez’s name and achievements are tarnished.  His greatness has taken a backseat to the story of how he got there. It’s even more unfair to link Machado’s name with the taint of steroids, HGH, and one-night stands with Madonna. Until he proves otherwise, Machado’s reputation should be everything Rodriguez’s is not.

Brooksie

Yep, seriously.  Some people have been quick to compare Manny to Mr. Oriole himself. Look! through the first 81 career games, Machado is better than Brooks (at the plate)!

Manny Machado is one of my favorite players to watch, and I hope that he is here long enough to become one of my kids’ favorite players. As an entertaining ballplayer and a role model, this guy might have what it takes to become a Baltimore icon – I really hope that is the case. But with all due respect to Manny, he is not in the Brooks Robinson territory yet. My sister-in-law just named her dog Manny, to honor her favorite player. In this town, people still name their sons Brooks.

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Manny Machado is not, and will not be the greatest baseball player to grace the game. But he’s pretty damn good.  What matters is that he’s the best option we have at third base, and he’s a solid contributor in our lineup. Here’s what’s worth celebrating: he has the potential to be a great player, and the potential to do it in an Orioles uniform for a long time.

Just like… Manny Machado.