Padres: After year of adjustment Manny Machado is set to break out

The 2019 season was certainly a big adjustment for Manny  Machado with the San Diego Padres, but he could be ready to break out in 2020.

When the San Diego Padres signed Manny Machado to a 10 year, $300 million contract last offseason it was supposed to signal the beginning of a new era.

They had their superstar to anchor the lineup and they had their rising superstar to pair with him in Fernando Tatis Jr.

And for the first half of 2019 we saw glimpses of that as San Diego hovered around .500 and remained in the Wild Card race.

But with Tatis missing most of the second-half of 2019 and Machado struggling down the stretch, the Padres season fell apart and now we enter 2020 still waiting to see them turn things around.

And it all really starts with these two superstars, but more specifically I want to focus on Machado.

Over six-and-a-half years playing in a hitter’s friendly ballpark in Baltimore, Machado hit .283/.335 with 162 home runs and an OPS of .822 in 860 games.

From 2015-2018 he averaged 35.5 home runs a year and hit a home run every 17.6 at-bats. Since coming over to the National League that has dropped a little to every 19 at-bats, but that’s nothing too alarming and is expected playing in much more pitcher-friendly parks.

The biggest issue since coming over to the National League has been his average as he’s hit .261 in 854 at-bats with the Dodgers and Padres.

Let’s take a look at the numbers, why they were down in 2019, and whether or not Machado can turn things around in San Diego.