Padres' Manny Machado Gets Hall of Fame Comp From Veteran MLB Manager

Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington compared San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado to Hall of Fame third baseman Adrian Beltre.

“Injuries never stopped Adrian Beltré from playing,” said Washington, who managed Beltré for four seasons with the Texas Rangers. “Adrian Beltré made other people want to be everyday players. There’s a lot of guys that couldn’t play every day, but because they were around Adrian Beltré, they’d think they could play every day.

“That’s the kind of player that Manny Machado is. He makes everybody else want to come on the field and play.”

Machado hit his 350th home run against the San Francisco Giants Thursday, becoming one of just five active players to reach that mark. He also sits 28 hits shy of his 2000th, a club which he would also become the fifth active member of. Machado eclipsed 1,500 hits at age 29, the first third baseman to accomplish the feat since Beltre did it in 2009.

“It’s going to be pretty cool, man. Obviously, it always takes you back to that first hit. You kind of reflect on (how) that was your childhood dream, to get a hit in the big leagues. And now you’re pushing 2,000, which is crazy,” Machado said. “It’s kind of surreal when you think about that number. I mean, it’s 2,000 hits.”

Beltre retired in 2018, and entered Cooperstown in 2024 as a nearly unanimous first-ballot induction. The third baseman played 21 MLB seasons, collecting 3,166 hits and hitting 477 home runs.

Machado is putting together another All-Star season with the Friars, leading the team in batting average (.317), on base percentage (.382), slugging percentage (.498) and hits (72). His OPS+ of 146 is the highest it's been since his last All-Star season in 2022, and is higher than that of all of his other All-Star campaigns.

On the verge of history, Machado also finds himself spearheading the Padres' postseason push, though it's still early days. The Padres have trailed the Dodgers since the season began, and sit just two games back from the 2024 World Series Champions in the NL West standings. Machado will hope to not only pass 2,000 hits, but bring his team to the postseason for the second year running.

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