Padres’ Manny Machado continues proving why he’s most vital with playoffs looming

The performance from Manny Machado at the hot corner in the month of July stood out, as he was named to Major League Baseball’s Team of the Month. Posting a slash line of .333/.387/.616 and accumulating an OPS of over 1.000, the honor was well deserved for the 33-year-old, as he is in search of something even greater.

Machado has won in every aspect of life: generational wealth, seven All-Star selections, a pair of Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers, as well as a Platinum Glove Award. But one thing that would cement his legacy as one of the great third basemen of his generation? Bringing a World Series to San Diego.

Manny Machado has done everything but win a World Series with the Padres... so far

About a month ago, the Padres looked nothing like a contending team, sitting 7.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West division standings. But now, the outlook for this team is much different, and a lot of the credit should go to Manny Machado for how his performance and leadership have truly reshaped the culture around the ballclub.

After a strong month of July, San Diego sits only three games behind LA now for the division, and the team has a plethora of new weapons that could make it a photo finish between the bitter rivals. They acquired a power arm in the bullpen like Mason Miller, as well asas well as adding two impact bats in Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano, and an upgrade at catcher with Freddy Fermín.

Already surrounded with talent all over, the window is more open than ever for the Padres to make noise. A deep playoff run in October is getting more and more likely as the new acquisitions start to get going. Manny Machado is ready to lead the new guys to the Promise Land, and it is something every Friar fan should be amped for.