Baltimore Orioles: Intriguing AL East Players on the O’s

Sep 14, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (13) and second baseman Jonathan Schoop (6) walk off the field during the fourth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

It is an easy call to list Manny Machado as the most intriguing player on the Baltimore Orioles, but he is not the first name that might come to mind.

In an interesting article by ESPN writer David Schoenfield that lists his 10 most intriguing players in the American League East, he apologizes in the first sentence for not listing Chris Davis. And he then goes on to have Manny Machado as the only Orioles player listed.

There is no apology needed for not including Davis. As the guy who has been the top home run hitter in baseball in recent years, I don’t think he fits the category of “intriguing.” We know what he does when he makes contact. The baseball can fly a long distance.

A definition for this word intriguing states that it means “to arouse the curiosity or interest of by unusual, new, or otherwise fascinating or compelling qualities.”

There’s nothing new about Crush homers. A better argument could be made for young Manny Machado, in that he is well short of his mid-20s. And so Schoenfield ranks Manny as #6 on a list that really doesn’t meet the definitional aspects of unusual or new …

Mookie Betts, OF, Boston Red Sox
Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF, New York Yankees
Marcus Stroman, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
David Price, LHP, Boston Red Sox
Manny Machado, 3B, Baltimore Orioles
Luis Severino, RHP, New York Yankees
Aroldis Chapman, LHP, New York Yankees
Chris Archer, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
Hanley Ramirez, 1B, Boston Red Sox

Forgive me for sounding overly-critical or judgmental. It is a good article … intriguing even!

So here is what he had to say about Machado, after which I’ll follow with the Orioles player I would list first as truly intriguing as we approach the 2016 season.

The writer states that Machado might have been the most improved hitter in the league in 2015. He notes the major jump in home runs to 35 for the season, attributable to more than just playing in 162 games.

Schoenfield highlights Machado’s improvement in walk rate from 5.7% to 9.8%. Beyond that, Manny chased 25% of pitches out of the zone, compared to 33% previously. These advanced stats do illustrate a greater plate discipline, surely leading to the successes of the 2015 season.