Padres' Manny Machado picks bad time to tell the truth

San Diego Padres slugger Manny Machado really stepped in it this time.

The one cardinal rule in baseball these days seems to be "don't anger the analytics guys," and Machado did just that during a candid interview at his locker last week.

When I saw the clip that opened with the line "I just wish we could get the analytics out the way," I knew Machado was in for a rough week.

"I think there's too many stats out there. Way too many numbers. I don't even know half of the stuff that goes up there. I look at the board sometimes and Im like... I even ask some of the guys, 'What is WCCPBB?' Whatever it is, like what are these names that are being created?" Machado said. "It's just crazy to keep up with."

In my head, I'm screaming at Machado, pleading for him not to continue down this path, but since this interview already happened and he can't read my thoughts anyway, Machado was inevitably going to dig himself deeper.

After being told what some of the terms meant, Manny wasn't satisfied.

"Why are we creating these stats? I think that's the problem with baseball right now," Machado concluded.

The social media reaction was swift and severe.

"Blaming analytics for being washed lmao," said one user with a clear listening comprehension issue.

"Yeah, if we just got those analytics out of the way I wouldn't be hitting .169 right? Right???" said another with the same problem.

Manny Machado's league-worst batting average of .166 was the first line of attack against the potential future Hall of Fame third baseman. Which is ironic because those attackers chose to use a non-advanced analytics stat to make their point, but I digress.

But the slings didn't just come from social media.

Has baseball passed Manny Machado by?

In response to Manny Machado's comments about advanced analytics, SI conducted a deep dive into the advanced analytics to explain why hitters in their 30s are struggling with sabermetrics.

Their conclusion: "The game has changed too quickly for many older hitters. Let's use the arc of Machado's career to measure those changes. We can compare the pitching that Machado saw in 2013, his first full season, when he led the league with 51 doubles (still a career high), to '26."

According to SI's data, fastball use is down slightly (55% then to 53% now) while average velocity is up by 3.5 mph, counts where you expect a fastball are decreasing, and pitchers are using more spin than ever.

"Hitting has grown more difficult across the board, but as Machado is learning, it is more challenging for the older hitter who has seen the game change quickly," SI's Tom Verducci surmised.

But the problem with using Machado's doubles as a point of analysis for this argument is that Machado actually had one of his best years for doubles last season at 32, when he hit 33. His total last year was tied for 4th most in his career.

Which is part of why I'm sure Manny is so frustrated with the whole process.

Imagine telling a player who has been one of the league's top sluggers for years, even through the increased reliance on advanced analytics, that the game has passed him by because of advanced analytics. You'd probably react the same way Machado did.

The focus on his personal offensive struggles when the entire San Diego team is batting a collective .215 this year with an on-base percentage of .290 is hilarious. What, is everyone on the team ignoring the advanced analytics?

Maybe there are some questions the sabermetric equations can't answer. Players aren't robots.

Not everyone in baseball is enamored with what advanced analytics have done to the way the game is played, and Machado isn't the first person to argue that there are too many advanced stats to keep up with.

I just wish he had waited until he was out of his slump to speak about it.

Related: Keibert Ruiz's resurgence powers scrappy Nats past Padres

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 2:29 PM.