Padres' Manny Machado Believes MLB Should Get Rid of the Analytics

The frustrations in San Diego are at an all-time high.

May 31, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) walks back to the dugout against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres are two games above .500 in spite of their slumping superstars.

Fernando Tatis Jr, Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado haven't looked like themselves in 2026, and it's been especially concerning with the season nearly reaching its halfway point.

Tatis is hitting .270 with only one home run, 18 runs batted in and an OPS of .660. He currently has the best batting average and OPS of the trio.

Merrill is batting .204 with six home runs, 24 runs batted in and a .611 OPS.

Machado is hitting .175 with 11 home runs, 32 runs batted in and an OPS .617 this season. The veteran has an OPS+ of 73, well below league average.

While the speculation about the slumping Padres offense continues, Machado took his frustration out on the ongoing analytics discourse that has taken over the league.

“The game’s evolving, man. It’s definitely getting harder to play. It’s definitely getting more strategic,” Machado said Friday. “I just wish we can get the analytics out of the way. I think there’s too many stats out there. Too many stats, way too many numbers. I don’t even know half of the stuff that goes up there. I look at the board sometimes, and I even ask some of the guys, like, ‘What is WCCVBB, whatever it is? What are these names that are being created?’

"I mean, it’s just crazy to even keep up with.”

The 33-year-old currently has the the lowest qualifying batting average in the National League (.175). He also leads the Padres in home runs with 11.

Machado, who is in the fourth year of an 11-year, $350 million contract extension, wants to keep the game as simple as possible.

“It goes back to old-school stuff, man,” he said. “Just see the ball and hit the ball."

Simplifying the sport has become increasingly difficult given the slew of numbers thrown at players in the modern era. While all three of the Padres' superstars have struggled, Machado has been under the spotlight the most because of his role as the clubhouse leader in San Diego.

“At the end of the day, it’s about competing. You got to go out there and compete and take away all those analytics, take everything you could possibly think of, and go out there and try to catch the ball and make more outs, right?" Machado said. "It’s about a team game. Play good defense, you win a ballgame. You make one more run than the other team, you win a ballgame.

"So, that’s what we’re trying to do here.”

Machado is well aware of the things being said about the Padres in 2026. The team's offensive slump is by no means a lack of effort as players have tirelessly worked to find a solution.

However, the ongoing slump is a concerning trend as the trade deadline quickly approaches. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller can acquire all the talent in the world, but if superstars like Machado don't rapidly improve, the odds of San Diego going far down the stretch are close to nil.

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