Manuel Arturo Machado (Spanish: [maˈtʃaðo]; born July 6, 1992) is an American professional baseball player who plays as a third baseman and shortstop for the San Diego Padres in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was very talented from a young age and grew up in Miami, where he attended Brito High School. He was chosen third overall in the 2010 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He bats and throws right-handed. Although he was born in the United States, he plays for the Dominican Republic in international competitions.

Machado began playing in the MLB with the Baltimore Orioles in August 2012. His best year was 2013, when he was selected to the American League (AL) All-Star team. That year, he led the league in doubles with 51 and was recognized as one of the best fielders in the game, winning a Gold Glove Award. His strong defense has led to comparisons with former Orioles third baseman and Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson. In 2018, Machado, who was about to become a free agent, was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He helped the team reach the World Series that year. Later that year, Machado signed a 10-year, $300 million contract with the Padres, the most expensive contract in North American sports history at that time. Since 2013, Machado has been selected to the All-Star Game seven times, the All-MLB First Team twice, won two Gold Glove Awards, and received three Silver Slugger Awards. He is the Padres' all-time home run leader.

Early life

Machado was born and grew up in Miami, Florida. His mother, Rosa Machado, his grandfather, Francisco Nunez, and his uncle, Geovanny Brito, raised him. He is of Dominican heritage. Machado grew up in Hialeah with future MLB center fielder Albert Almora. Although they are not related by blood, they consider each other cousins.

Machado attended Brito Miami Private School and chose to attend Florida International University. He was a fan of the Florida Marlins.

Professional career

The Baltimore Orioles chose Machado in the first round of the 2010 MLB draft. He was the third player selected overall. He was the second high school player and the second position player to be drafted. He signed a $5.25 million contract just minutes before the deadline on August 16, 2010. While his agent, Scott Boras, negotiated his contract, Machado played for USA Baseball's 18-and-under national team during the summer of 2010. Machado joined the Orioles in mid-September when the Orioles hosted the New York Yankees.

On August 22, Machado reported to the Orioles minor league complex to join the Gulf Coast League Orioles. He made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Orioles on August 27, 2010. He went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and played as the designated hitter. Machado hit his first professional home run in his second game with the Orioles. He made his debut with the Low-A Aberdeen IronBirds of the New York–Penn League on August 30, 2010. He went 1-for-3 with a single and played shortstop instead of being the DH. He was pulled after the fifth inning.

Machado began the 2011 season with the Delmarva Shorebirds, playing shortstop. He hit five home runs before May 1 and was named the South Atlantic League player of the week for April 25–May 1. After missing several weeks with a knee injury, he returned to play 10 more games and appeared in the SAL All-Star Game on June 21, 2011. After the game, he was promoted to the High-A Frederick Keys. He was named to appear in the 2012 All-Star Futures Game.

The Orioles promoted Machado to MLB from the Double-A Bowie Baysox on August 9 against the Kansas City Royals. He started at third base, as the team already had J. J. Hardy at shortstop. The next day, against the same opponent, he hit his first and second career home runs, making him the youngest Oriole and the 12th youngest player in major league history to have a multi-homer game. The two home runs were both off former number-one overall draft pick Luke Hochevar. He then hit his third career home run on August 12 off Bruce Chen. In Game 3 of the 2012 ALDS, Machado hit his first career postseason home run. The Orioles lost the division series to the New York Yankees in five games.

Machado finished his rookie season having played in all 51 of the remaining Oriole games. In 202 plate appearances, he hit .262 with eight doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 26 RBI, and two steals in as many attempts. He collected 50 hits and scored 24 runs.

Machado had three hits on May 27, giving him 40 multi-hit games in his career. This tied Ty Cobb for the major league record for the most multi-hit games before age 21 in history. On May 30, he went 2-for-3 to break Cobb's record. Machado's 44 hits in May 2013 were the second-most in a month by a player under 21, behind Mickey Mantle's 46 in July 1952. At the end of May, Machado led the major leagues with 25 doubles and was tied for the MLB lead in hits (79) with reigning AL MVP Miguel Cabrera. Exactly halfway through the season, Machado got his 37th double, putting him on pace to break the single-season record (67) in his first full season.

On June 27, 2013, Machado argued a correctly ruled strike-three call, leading to his first career MLB ejection. This was also the first career MLB ejection for the umpire who threw him out, Will Little.

An All-Star, he slashed .310/.337/.470 with seven home runs, 45 RBI, and 39 doubles in the first half.

Machado suffered a left knee injury when reaching first base after a hit on September 23, 2013. He received immediate medical attention and left the game on a stretcher. The injury also ended his consecutive games played streak at 207. Machado was ruled out for the rest of the 2013 season. He finished the year hitting .283/.314/.432 with 14 home runs, 71 RBI, and 51 doubles. He led the American League in doubles, at-bats (667), and fielding percentage at third base (.973).

On October 10, Machado opted to have reconstructive surgery performed on his knee to reduce the chance of future dislocations. The surgery would sideline him for 4–6 months, but he was still expected to return sometime around Opening Day.

On October 29, Machado won the Gold Glove Award at third base, the first by an Oriole third baseman since Brooks Robinson's 16-year run from 1960 to 1975. On November 8 of the same year, Machado won the AL Platinum Glove Award.

On April 29, 2014, he was removed from the disabled list after knee surgery recovery. On May 1, he was greeted by a standing ovation from the hometown Baltimore fans prior to the first game of a doubleheader sweep against the Pittsburgh Pirates. On June 1, 2014, Machado hit his first career grand slam in a 9–3 victory.

On June 12, 2014, Machado was involved in a collision with a fan during a game against the Yankees. He was

International career

In 2009, he played for the 18U United States team in the COPABE Pan Am "AAA" Championship. The team went 8–0, won the gold medal, and qualified for the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship.

Machado played for the Dominican Republic in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He earned the nickname "El Ministro de la Defensa" because of his strong defense. He was named the most valuable player in the first round's Pool C, where he had a batting average of .357.

The Dominican team lost to the United States in Pool F, which meant they did not advance to the championship round. Machado had a batting line of .269/.321/.462 in six games. During this time, he hit two doubles and one home run.

Although he was born in Florida, Machado chose to play for the Dominican Republic because of his strong family heritage. His grandfather grew up in La Vega, Dominican Republic. He explained his decision by saying:

Scouting report

In 2010, Keith Law, a writer for ESPN.com and the main baseball expert for Scouts, Inc., said that if Machado remained at shortstop, "you have a possible All-Star offensively who is as good as average when fielding." During the middle of his first full season in Major League Baseball (2013), Fangraphs ranked Machado as the best third baseman in baseball, far ahead of other players. Machado has been compared to New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, whom he sees as a teacher. Machado said it is a great honor to be compared to Rodriguez but does not compare himself to anyone. Orioles Hall of Famer Jim Palmer compared Machado to another shortstop or third baseman with a large build, saying, "He reminds me of how Cal (Ripken) might have played if he had been a third baseman his whole career."

Personal life

In November 2014, Machado married his girlfriend for a long time, Yainee Alonso, who is the sister of Yonder Alonso. During the offseason, he and his wife live in Coral Gables, Florida, and have two homes there. During the season, he lives in Coronado, California. He has a dog named Kobe because he was a big fan of basketball player Kobe Bryant when he was young.

Machado's agent is Dan Lozano. Earlier in his career, he was represented by Scott Boras.

Machado is part of a group that owns San Diego FC, a new team in Major League Soccer. The team was announced in 2023 and will begin playing in 2025.