Fantasy Baseball: Should we buy low on Manny Machado, plus more skill vs. luck verdicts
Fantasy Baseball: Should we buy low on Manny Machado, plus more skill vs. luck verdicts
Corbin YoungThu, May 28, 2026 at 2:08 PM UTC
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It’s been a strange start to the season. We have veteran hitters struggling, with rookies and unexpected contributors like Zack Gelof and JJ Bleday making some noise. This week, we’re looking at four veteran hitters with a decent track record who aren’t quite meeting expectations through the first two months of the season. We’ll examine their skills and luck factors to identify whether their skills indicate better production moving forward.
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Manny Machado, Padres (97% Rostered)
Should we be buying low on Manny Machado? As we shift toward the end of May, we probably wouldn’t have expected Machado to hit nine home runs with a .169 batting average. Machado has been unfortunate, with a .173 BABIP in 2026 compared to a .296 BABIP in his career. From a plate discipline standpoint, most of Machado’s metrics look similar to his career averages. That’s evident in Machado’s 76.7% contact rate, 28.8% chase rate and an 11% swinging-strike rate.
Source: “AOL Sports”
