Rise of the Machín
Vimael Machín made his debut in July of 2020, during the shortened, Covid season. He was used primarily as a sub following Matt Chapman’s hip surgery, but collected innings all over the infield. That debut season, Machín was 13-for-63 at the plate with 8 BB’s and 10 K’s, and the thing that excited me early on was his ability to hit the ball to the opposite field with regularity.
Defensively, in taking over the hot corner from Chappy, he never notched an error, but there was some clumsiness in play, either from inexperience or maybe nerves. It wasn’t bad; it wasn’t great. Fans didn’t take him seriously because, frankly, at the time, they didn’t have to. They had their guy! A gold glove, highlight reel, all-star of a guy! So any missed dive, or attempt shy of a behind-the-back, tarp leap was met with audible groans at games.
Nevertheless, time changes things. With Chappy gone, Machín is now being auditioned in a long-term, platoon role with the club. In 2022, he clocked over 500 innings at third, and even though the advanced statistics are not complimentary, the eye-test was, dare I say, impressive this year? We saw Machín lay out for balls and force some quick turns to second at a big-league level. In 62 starts, he maintained a fielding percentage of 96%. He shows recognizable promise the more time he gets to dig his cleats in at third. There’s no longer knee-jerk nerves when a ball is lined to the left, because he can get there. A’s fans have to accept that we can’t expect perfection, but we should tune into such clear improvement.
I’m particularly excited to see how he continues at the plate. In a year where the league average was around .240 and the team average was .216, Machín quietly hit the 6th best of our roster with a career-high .220. Sure, it’s not Aaron Judge numbers, but A’s fandom requires these kinds of silver linings. Not only was he hitting more often this past year, he found opportunities to round first. Of his 49 hits, 13 were for extra bases, including his first home run in the Majors. Plus, he can be patient in the box. He walked 25 times, and if I remember correctly, in the last month of the season those free bases were in key moments. With a win in arm’s reach, where the average rookie may let his nerves get ahead of his discipline, Machín showed a maturity in 2022 that could and should make you hopeful. I’d be willing to bet he continues to improve on his whiff rate of 19% and 87% zone contact, which aren’t terrible to start.
The old-school baseball fan might tell you we can’t have a singles hitter at third. Like first base and the outfield corners, third is a position that is reserved for power guys. And even though I want the game to change and evolve, it is still common in the modern era: Bregman can do it. Machado can do it, J-Ram can do it, our pal Chappy can do it…But Oakland is the team that made Moneyball a household name. We change the norm and break the rules, and we do it with the details. Machín delivers those details. He is fairly reliable, visibly un-phased by big game situations, and sprays hits all over, which is exciting for a leftie (even with the shift coming to an end). His exit velocity averages just under 90 mph, so maybe we invest some confidence in a guy who has consistently improved since his call-up.
Want one last reason to anticipate a hitting boost in 2023? Three words: Maurizio Nael Machín. Call me superstitious, but I’m a believer in dad-power. Let’s give the man a chance to showcase what having a son did to his bat. We saw what it did for Brownie and Pinder this past summer. Baseball has a weird way of connecting all the parts of someone’s life in emotional moments, and I think Papa Vimael is due for a big one. In fact, on opening day of the LBCPR, batting in the three hole for the Criollos de Caguas, he knocked one out!
Look, I know we have some righty options that are also promising. Kevin Smith finally got his footing after he stopped trying so hard. He eventually exhaled with 13 bombs with the Aviators. Jonah Bride was a fun watch too, and his offensive numbers are comparable to Machín's. And who doesn’t want to root for the guy in goggles?
I say all of this to say, if I’m Kots and co., I’m picking Vimael. With more playing time, he’s only getting more solid. His defensive range was drastically different to watch this year, and his ability to hit to any field is coming with increased frequency and confidence. Also, something people don’t consider enough is the benefit of having someone on the infield fluent in Spanish. It’s a definite advantage necessary to communicate with a diverse pitching staff. He’s not shiny enough that A’s fans have to worry about losing him in a trade anytime soon, so let’s embrace him a bit. He's stepped into our A’s culture whole-heartedly, with both socks pulled up high and cheeks smothered in eyeblack. It’s time we meet him halfway.