Manny Machado's scalding start to the season might not be that surprising to those who have seen the Orioles third baseman blossom into one of the game's top young stars. But even Machado's teammates express wonderment at his consistency at the plate over the team's first 14 games.
Machado entered Friday's series-opening, 4-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals leading the major leagues with a .407 batting average and 24 hits. His .780 slugging percentage and 1.251 on-base plus slugging led American League hitters and trailed only Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper.