Manny Machado has the potential to land the biggest free agent contract in MLB history this offseason, but he will likely have to first answer questions about his character from one or more interested teams. Many of those questions center around his reputation for not hustling, which is one that he perpetuated during the playoffs.
Machado infamously said in an interview last month that hustling down the first base line on a routine ground ball is “not my cup of tea.” He also said he will never be known as “Johnny Hustle” and can’t change the way he plays, but he tried to walk back those comments while speaking with Mark Feinsand of MLB.com this week.
“When I was asked that question, I was definitely on the defensive, and I was wrong to answer it the way that I did, because looking back, it doesn’t come across how I meant it,” Machado explained. “For me, I was trying to talk about how I’m not the guy who is eye wash. There’s a difference between fake hustle for show and being someone who tries hard to win. I’ve always been the guy who does whatever he can to win for his team.”
What Machado is trying to say, we think, is that he would never dog it on an important play. What he likely means by “eye wash” is that he simply doesn’t like hustling down the line when he knows he’s going to be thrown out, but isn’t that still a problem?
The point of hustling isn’t just to show fans you play hard. A bobble or errant throw can happen at any time, and giving 100 percent effort allows a player to maximize his chances of capitalizing on any potential mistake. If you choose not to run hard simply because there’s a high probability you’re going to be thrown out, you might not be in position to take advantage of an opponent’s misstep.
Of course, Machado hasn’t only been criticized for his lack of hustle. He also committed numerous dirty plays during the postseason, and interested teams will likely have plenty of questions about that as well.
