The Baltimore Orioles are in a three-way tie atop the American League wild card standings as of Thursday morning.
And, much to the dismay of a handful of other AL squads battling for the two wild card spots, things are looking great for the O’s down the stretch. That’s because Baltimore’s recent call-up of top prospect Manny Machado just might help them return to the playoffs for the first time since 1997.
In 109 games for Double-A Bowie, Machado is hitting .266 with 11 homers and 59 RBIs. Machado is the ninth-ranked prospect in baseball, according to Baseball America.
Machado is primarily a shortstop but the O’s have made it clear that J.J. Hardy is their starter right now. Wilson Betemit and Mark Reynolds have not been the best answers at the hot corner and if Machado can successfully make the switch and play the position better than Betemit and Reynolds have, Baltimore could make a solid push for a wild card slot.
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Photo via Facebook/Manny Machado
