San Diego Padres: 3 April numbers to concern Padres fans

1.9% - Manny Machado’s home run percentage is at a career low

Although Manny Machado has managed to get past the Mendoza line (.221), his home run percentage is sitting at an uncharacteristic 1.9%. For illustration, the MLB average is 3% and Machado’s career average is 4.5%. Consequentially, Machado has seen his strikeout rate increase from 20.7% in 2022 to 22.2% in 2023.

When Machado has batted balls into play, his numbers are also anaemic compared to the 6-time All-Star’s career averages. Firstly, the exit velocity is down to 88.6mph from a career average of 91.8mph. The hard hit % has dropped to 34.2% from his career average of 49.4%. Perhaps Machado has tried to tweak his swing mechanics, which has caused an opposite-field hit percentage to increase to 26.6% from a 19.4% career average.

Whatever has caused Machado to be the shadow of his formal self, the result has been to stunt the Padres’ offensive capabilities. The Padres have decided to drop Machado down the order and time will tell if this tactic works. Like Soto’s batting challenges, Machado is not solely to blame. However, when someone of Machado’s capabilities catches cold it is a given that the Padres will sneeze.