Captain Edward John Smith, 1850-1912

I pulled a classic Captain Edward John Smith on Saturday.  How so?  Well, Captain Smith reportedly said, “I cannot conceive of any vital disaster happening to this vessel,” before he set out and sunk the Titanic in 1912.  Ok, so I didn’t cause a shipwreck that resulted in over 1,500 people drowning, but I did suffer from some majorly ironic foot-in-mouth disease when I glowed about Manny Machado in my first post in two years.  Since that post the world has turned upside down for the now villainous Machado because of a couple poor decisions in the recent O’s versus A’s series.  Our hyperspeed news cycle with its myriad talking heads have made Manny’s name Mud and call for his suspension mere hours after I wrote about the young star playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played.  Here is my perspective of this recent twist, and it’s not completely damage control:

In 2013, his first full season, Manny lit up the field as few 20-21 year-olds ever have.  He led baseball in doubles and earned the Platinum Glove, meaning he was the best defensive player in the American League.  At the very end of the season he blew out his knee, potentially ending his bright young career.  He rehabbed this winter and missed the start of this season, and when he finally started playing again in May, he wasn’t playing at his former level.  He’s currently hitting around .235 and he’s made uncharacteristic defensive miscues.  He’s not the toast of the town anymore, and as a 21 year-old he’s scared to death that he won’t regain his prior skill, which seemed to have destined him to be one of the great ones.

His young career hit a major speed bump and he’s having trouble with it, that much is obvious.  For some reason his troubles boiled over this weekend against the A’s.  First it was the “hard tag” against him on Friday (eh, it didn’t seem that hard, it just caught him off balance).  Sunday’s issues began with him thunking the A’s catcher twice with his backswing.  Ubaldo Jimenez sharted all around the strike zone and we were getting walloped 10-0.  Some A’s bullpen guy, Fernando Abad, felt like he could afford to plunk Machado to put him in his place – but I think the next detail is key – he threw at Machado’s fragile, surgically repaired left knee.  Manny obviously didn’t take kindly to that, and when Abad threw at Manny’s bum knee again on the NEXT PITCH, Manny made an ill-advised split second decision and let his bat slip from his hands and fly towards the A’s defense.  Both players were tossed after the scuffle.

Is Manny Machado compromised?  Is he now destined to become a spiteful young has been who allowed an injury to defeat his mind and ruin his career?  Will he spiral into the role of pariah and get quietly shuffled out of the league in all his wretched, spoiled talent?  Given my recent history with foot-in-mouth disease, my guess is: probably not.

Here’s why Manny will probably not become a sad, vindictive turd:

1.       Trend analysis doesn’t point to it – he’s played nearly a year and a half and this is his first flare-up.  He was tossed out of a game one other time for arguing pitch calls, but he doesn’t have a history of petulance.  He’s never been a maniac in the past.

2.       I think the pitches at his fragile knee are what made him snap.  If Abad had plunked him in the back like you’re supposed to, I don’t think Manny would have flown off the handle (pun intended).

3.       Buck Showalter is in charge.  With Buck at the helm, I don’t see Manny spiraling further away from sanity.  I like to think that Buck is too contemplative, meticulous, and observant to let that happen.  I’m guessing Manny’s public TV apology today was a condition set down by Buck, but I’m not sure.  I just have faith that a guy with Buck’s experience and respect for the game would settle down the young colt.

4.       Manny is surrounded by some potentially good baseball mentors.  Guys who know the ins and outs of the game and who have seen lean times need to step up and mentor him.  I’d look to JJ Hardy next door at shortstop and maybe an Adam Jones or Nick Markakis to sit Manny down and let him know he needs to take his lumps and lay off the bush league outbursts.

We’re fortunate that the O’s and A’s only meet for one more series this year (in July).  If this had occurred while playing an AL East rival, there would be the potential for many unhappy returns.  I hope maturity wins out in our July series.  Teams will definitely test the waters with Manny over the next couple weeks, and his future hinges on his response to these tests.  I hope for his sake that he grins and bears it.