BALTIMORE โ With Nick Markakis in the midst of his return to Baltimore, the Orioles trotted out their fourth different leadoff hitter in the last five games for Tuesdayโs contest against the Atlanta Braves.
After manager Buck Showalter moved Manny Machado down to third over the weekend, the All-Star third baseman returned to the top spot, the place in the lineup heโs now occupied 73 times during the 2015 season. Of course, the thinking with moving Machado down in the order was to create more run-producing opportunities for the 23-year-old, but the lack of an ideal option to replace him in the top spot is the bigger long-term problem.
Jimmy Paredes, David Lough, and Nolan Reimold received opportunities in the top spot while Machado hit lower in the order. Showalter has used six different players in the leadoff spot this year with two of them โ Alejandro De Aza and Everth Cabrera โ no longer with the organization.
โIf you hit Manny first, who hits third?โ Showalter said on Monday. โIf you hit him third, who hits first? You take one away and then youโre trying to replace it. We put out there what we think is best. Guys know that weโre having some challenges there.โ
Despite Reimold going 2-for-4 with a double and a walk in the No. 1 spot in Mondayโs 2-1 win, Machado struggled in the third spot in the order, going 2-for-15 with four strikeouts and a walk. One certainly shouldnโt draw strong or permanent conclusions from that sample size, but it might have been the level of anxiousness Machado displayed in two at-bats on Monday that reinforced the idea that maybe itโs unwise to mess with a good thing.
Machado came to the plate with two runners on base in the eighth and 10th innings of Mondayโs game and struck out each time, swinging at several pitches outside the strike zone. One of the biggest factors in the young infielderโs leap at the plate this season has been his improved plate disciplined with a career-high 42 walks in 423 plate appearances entering Tuesdayโs game.
Did the move to the No. 3 spot alter Machadoโs mindset?
โI actually asked him about that today. โDo you feel any different mentality there? Are you getting bigger?'โ Showalter said prior to Tuesdayโs game. โHe said, โNo, itโs just a [slump].โ Since heโs been here โ up until the last two or three games โ thatโs as long as Iโve seen him engaged with a good approach where he was not letting them get him out other than [on] stuff within the zone. He was walking.
โYou always think itโs a day away. Itโs like he said today, โIโve got to get back to what I was doing. Itโs got nothing to do with where Iโm hitting him in the order.โ Of course, whatโs he going to say?โ
Machado looks the part of a hitter who will eventually settle into the No. 3 spot for a long time, but it would be wise to leave him in the role where heโs thrived in 2015, especially with few other options inspiring confidence in the leadoff spot right now.