Manny Machado has had stretches in his career when he's been this hot at the plate, but never so early in the season.
Machado, who is hitting the ball to all fields and producing more power than usual, typically shows this version of himself in June. With his typical midseason form emerging so soon, his teammates are making some bold claims about him — and they're only kind of joking.
"It's funny," shortstop J.J. Hardy said. "Watching these games, I've said it several times: 'There's no reason he shouldn't hit .400 this year.