After spending seven years as his teammate in Baltimore, Adam Jones believes he has a solid read of Manny Machado and doesn't consider the San Diego Padres third baseman to be a dirty player.
Machado was recently called "bush league" on an Arizona Diamondbacks broadcast after dropping his bat near catcher John Ryan Murphy as he attempted to catch a pop-up.
The incident, combined with some of his past antics, has earned Machado a villainous reputation, which Jones recently commented on.
"I’ve been with the guy every day in the bigs besides the last six months. I don’t see him as a dirty player," the D-Backs outfielder told The Athletic's Zach Buchanan. "I see him as player who plays the game hard. I see him as a guy who plays the game his way, also. People label everything. Everyone has an opinion while living the perfect kosher life."
Jones also suggested Machado doesn't care what people have to say about him.
"Doesn’t give a rat’s ass. No. Doesn’t care," Jones replied when asked how Machado handles criticism. "He goes out there and handles his business, and he wants the ball hit to him so he can throw you out."
Despite being a character of ill repute to some, Machado was still rewarded with a 10-year, $300-million contract from the Padres in February and has been instrumental in bringing them to the top of the National League West standings for the first time since April 2015.
