Manny Machado has been struggling at baseball this season.
He was asked about Zach Wheeler feeding him a ton of heaters in Philadelphia.
What happened?
Machado took the last one deep, but for the most part, he has really struggled against fastballs this year.
Why it matters for Manny Machado
Machado said the game is evolving and getting harder to play, wishing to get analytics out of the way, citing too many stats and numbers.
What comes next?
Jordan Shusterman and Jake Mintz discuss Machado's comments, stating that adopting modern development and thinking about why it's getting harder for him to play might help.
Machado has a significant drop in bat speed over the last three seasons, which is not a surprise due to his age, almost 34.
He still swings it pretty fast, but this drop is significant for a guy who has always had ridiculous bat speed.
The numbers and how they influence players matter, and older players like Machado may feel talked past by these numbers.
But the ones willing to adapt are the ones that will survive.
Machado has a ton of money left on his deal, and the way he talks makes analysts more concerned for his future.
He has been really good in his life, amazingly good, but this year he's been much less than amazing.
Machado's comments get at a dynamic that a lot of older players feel, and it's interesting to see how the data influences player output behavior and production.
The game is definitely getting more strategic, and it's getting harder to play for Manny Machado.