Manny Machado, the Baltimore Orioles' abnormally talented 22-year-old infielder, isn't a third baseman so much as he's a shortstop who plays third base every single night.
On Wednesday night, for instance, the former All-Star showed off the range and absurd arm strength befitting a middle infielder during his club's game against the Texas Rangers.
As he corralled a ground ball off the bat of Shin-Soo Choo with a diving stab in the seventh inning and hastily uncorked an impossible throw to retire him at first base, Machado demonstrated precisely why the Orioles grabbed him, a high school shortstop, before the likes of Chris Sale and Matt Harvey in the 2010 draft.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
Despite undergoing two major knee surgeries in the last 18 months, Machado is still tied for first among American League third basemen with eight defensive runs saved this season.