Manny Machado may have a new team, but he faces the same questions about his effort.
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Tuesday that he has talked with Machado about his effort this season. The remark from Roberts came in response to a question about whether Machado pimping a double had been addressed.
#Dodgers Dave Roberts was asked if he talked to Manny Machado about pimping his HR and not running out double off the wall in 9th inning. Said he didn't, wouldn't have had more than a double anyway. But he admitted he has talked to Machado about his effort
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) September 25, 2018
Machado smashed a ball off the right field fence in Arizona on Monday night and stood in the batter’s box watching the ball rather than running. He was walking up the first base line thinking he had hit a home run and was lucky to get to second. He probably would have had a triple had he run hard the entire way.
This sort of thing is nothing new for Machado. He drove Orioles fans crazy with his lack of effort at times, even getting booed this year for not hustling.
Machado may have more margin for these sorts of mistakes since he’s newer to the Dodgers, but this has to be considered problematic. The Dodgers have dealt with similar issues with Yasiel Puig and often disciplined him. A double-standard with Machado would set a bad precedent. Perhaps the team only considers him a rental and won’t make a huge deal of it, but this is something teams considering signing him this offseason should weigh. You want your best players setting an example on the field for their behavior, not doing the opposite.
