A Lasting Legacy

When people think of the San Diego Padres, a few names come to mind, primarily Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman.

If the next 11 years go accordingly, there will be a third statue at Petco Park someday in honor of Manny Machado.

Surrounded by some of the best hitters in the league in addition to a formidable starting rotation, Machado has a chance to cement his legacy by doing something Gwynn and Hoffman didn’t: bring the city of San Diego its first World Series title.

“We’ve brought in the people to come help us bring a championship,” Machado said.

Manny Machado

Machado was the third pick (Bryce Harper, Jameson Taillon) in the 2010 draft, selected by the Baltimore Orioles straight out of high school.

Following his debut in 2012, Machado debuted in Baltimore at just 20 years old. He spent seven seasons with the Orioles becoming one of the game’s best two-way players.

Machado went to four All-Star games (2013, 2015-16, 2018) and won two gold gloves (2013, 2015).

In the final year of Machado’s contract, Baltimore traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Yusniel Diaz, Dean Kremer, Rylan Bannon, Breyvic Valera, and Zach Pop.

After his short stint with the Dodgers, Machado entered free agency for the first time in his career.

On February 21, 2019, Machado signed a 10-year, $300 million contract with the San Diego Padres, the largest free-agent contract in American sports history at the time.

Over the next four seasons, Machado blossomed from a young star to a leader, taking the Padres from a bottom dweller to a championship contender.

In that time, Machado was named to two more All-Star teams, bringing his total to six in his career.

This past season, Machado was named the runner-up for the NL MVP after hitting .298/.366/.531 (.898 OPS) with 32 HR’s, 102 RBIs, and a 159 OPS+.

Last month, Machado and the Padres agreed on a new 11-year contract extension with the Padres worth $350 million, including a full no-trade provision with no opt-outs. The deal keeps Machado in San Diego through 2033.

“We’re excited to be here for the rest of our careers — and have this hat go into the Hall of Fame,” Machado said.

In 11 years so far, Machado has 1,597 hits, 839 runs, 312 doubles, 283 home runs, 853 runs batted in, and 85 stolen bases.

Over the next 11 years, Machado needs to record 1,403 hits (127.5 per season) and 217 home runs (19.7) to become the eighth member of the exclusive 3,000-hit, 500-HR club.

Doing so would give him a first-class ticket to Cooperstown to become the fourth player in franchise history to wear a Padres cap in the Hall of Fame.

As great as these stats are, Machado only has one goal, win it all.

“For the fans of San Diego: We’re going to be here for the long haul,” Machado said. “My family and I are going to do a lot for this organization, we’re going to go above and beyond for it, and hopefully bring a championship to the city that’s been craving it.”

13 Fun Facts

1. Machado’s 12 career slams lead all active players and is tied for the 29th most in MLB history.
2. He is one of six players with a 6+ WAR in at least four seasons since 2015 (Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Jose Ramirez).
3. Since 2015, Machado has 4,488 at-bats, the most in Major League Baseball. His 1,156 games played are second in the league (Goldschmidt, 1,158) during that span.
4. He has a dog named Kobe, named after former basketball player Kobe Bryant who Manny was a fan of while growing up.
5. During his brief stint in LA, Machado wore #8 in honor of Kobe since #13 was already in use (Max Muncy).
6. In November 2014, Machado married his longtime girlfriend, Yainee Alonso, the sister of Yonder Alonso. The pair met through Yonder, who was good friends with Manny growing up in Miami.
7. Machado has had four top-5 MVP finishes (2015-16, 2020, 2022).
8. Despite growing up in Florida, Machado played for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic in 2017 and 2023 to honor his family heritage, including his mom’s dad.
9. In 2009, he played for the 18U United States team in the COPABE Pan Am “AAA” Championship. They finished 8–0, won the gold medal, and qualified for the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship.
10. On August 10, 2012, Machado became the youngest Oriole and 12th youngest player in major league history to have a multi-homer game.
11. On May 30, 2013, Machado passed Ty Cobb for the major league record for the most multi-hit games before age 21 in history, with 41. His 44 hits that month were the second-most in a month by a player under 21 (Mickey Mantle 46, July 1952).
12. Machado led the NL with 11 sacrifice flies in 2021.
13. He often plays chess in his free time to keep his mind sharp. As a reward for reaching the 1,500-hit milestone in 2022, the Padres gave the star third baseman a custom chess board.

Other 13’s

Machado is one of 21 players in franchise history to wear number 13. Others include Mark Davis, Jim Leyritz, and Chris Denorfia.

Davis went to two All-Star games as a Padre and was the NL Cy Young winner in 1989. In his five seasons with the team, Davis recorded a 2.75 ERA, and 78 saves in 308 innings pitched.

Leyritz only played in 112 games over parts of two seasons but played a key role in the 1998 run to winning the NL pennant thanks to his .803 OPS.

Denorfia was never a power hitter, but he won the hearts of Padres fans due to his scrappy hustle and pristine defense. In five years with the team, Denorfia hit .275 and stole 51 bases.

Assuming Machado’s next 11 years are “Manny Machado-like” or even half that, no other player in team history will wear number 13 again.

Al Scott

Al was born in Fresno, California with a passion for talking and writing about sports. The lifelong Padres fan is currently attending Fresno State as he pursues a degree in broadcast journalism. In addition to being a student, he does public address announcing at both the high school and collegiate levels.