Manny Machado arrives

Today begins a new era for the Baltimore Orioles. This evening Manny Machado will start third base and bat ninth for the Birds.

If you stayed up late last night the word rang out through the twitter-verse and frankly I couldn't believe it. I didn't believe it at first. After reading this story earlier this month I thought initially that the Orioles' twitter account was hacked. But confirmation soon followed by shocked beat writers and bloggers.



The 20 year-old Machado was the Orioles' first round pick in 2010. He has had a solid year in the minors and has come on strong in recent weeks. Currently batting .266/.352/.438/.789 with 11 homeruns in just over 100 games and 400 ABs at AA Bowie. Certainly not tearing the cover off the ball, his numbers are not begging for him to get called up.

As the Orioles completed a sweep the Mariners last night the Orioles are suddenly looking as strong as they have ever appeared this season. The addition of the young top BA number 11 prospect infielder seems questionable at first blush. Why would the Orioles rush this player, a prospect that the team is really counting on for the longterm? I don't know if Machado is being rushed, per se, but this move definitely is one of the most aggressive moves the Orioles have made in a long time.

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