San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado began his professional career as a member of the Orioles. It is fitting that he reached a career milestone in his return to Baltimore.
Machado had 997 runs batted in over his career entering Saturday night. A three-run home run in the top of the seventh inning provided Machado with his 998th, 999th and 1,000th career RBI.
Machado had started his professional career with the Orioles as the third overall selection in the 2010 MLB Draft. He was considered a top prospect almost immediately with MLB.com ranking Machado as the sixth-best prospect in baseball ahead of the 2012 season. He would make his major league debut as a 19-year-old that year, posting a respectable .262/.294/.445 batting line with seven homers and eight doubles in his 202 plate appearances over the final two months.
That 2012 debut was just a taste of what would come. Machado briefly flirted with the single-season doubles record in 2013, ending the year with an AL-leading 51 two-baggers. He made his first All-Star Game, won a Gold Glove and finished ninth in the MVP vote, posting a .283/.314/.432 batting line with 14 homers in 710 plate appearances.
Machado made his mark on the Orioles over parts of parts of seven seasons in Baltimore. He became a superstar, a four-time All-Star and a true five-tool talent, winning a pair of Gold Gloves and finishing in the top five of the MVP vote twice before he was traded to the Dodgers before the 2018 trade deadline. Machado signed with the Padres that offseason then signed an 11-year extension prior to the 2023 campaign. Despite that deal, it is fitting that Machado became the ninth active player with 1000 RBI in front of his former hometown fans.
