Growing pains behind him, Manny Machado, at 23, reclaims All-Star status

Bob Nightengale | USA TODAY Sports

CHICAGO - Baltimore Orioles All-Star third baseman Manny Machado walked into his downtown hotel room, famished from a late-night flight, called room service, and ordered a huge cheeseburger and fries.

It was 4 in the morning.

He spent the next eight hours getting acquainted with the bathroom, sick from his late-night/wee morning hours meal, wondering why in the world he gave in to the temptation.

If nothing else, it gave him time to think.

And this is where Machado spent time playing back everything in his mind, reminiscing about the last time he was in Chicago a year ago, wondering if his dreams were forever shattered.

"I'll never forget it,'' Machado told USA TODAY Sports, "I was just walking outside on the sidewalk with my wife after lunch. It was a little crowded on the sidewalk, so I turned sideways, and tripped over a crack on the sidewalk.

"I said, "What the hell? I'm a professional athlete. How can I be tripping over a small crack?' It was unbelievable.

"That was when I knew I had to have knee surgery.''

Once again, for the second time in 11 months - this time, on his right knee.

"I was devastated,'' Machado said. "To go through everything I did the first time, to go through the process and getting my strength back and everything, and then it for it to happen again. It was hard, man, it was hard.

"It gets to you mentally. You start thinking about everything. People wonder if you'll ever be the same player. It just beats you up.''

Machado rubs his chin, slowly shakes his head, and breaks into a wide grin.

Man, how life has changed since his last visit to Chicago.

"It's like I'm living a dream now,'' Machado said. "It just feels like I'm back, being the player I'm supposed to be.

"Really, it feels almost like I'm making up for lost time.''

Even when infirm. Machado still played and homered that night after the offensive cheesburger.

And he's discovering life just keeps getting better, especially when you're just celebrating your 23rd birthday Monday.

Let's see, he wakes up in Minneapolis and spends the morning with his newlywed, Yainee, the sister of San Diego Padres first baseman Yonder Alonso, reminiscing about their honeymoon in the Maldives, with a side trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

He arrives at Target Field, and is informed that he has been selected to the All-Star Game, receiving the second-highest vote total by the players among American League third basemen, behind Toronto's Josh Donaldson.

And just two pitches into the game, Machado, the Orioles' youngest leadoff hitter since Paul Blair in 1965, launches a homer over the right center-field wall. It's his career-high 18th of the year, and his major-league-leading 10th to lead off an inning.

He's batting .301 this season with 47 RBI, to go along with 13 stolen bases and 47 extra-base hits, keeping the Orioles smack in the American League East race.

"There isn't a series that goes by," says Orioles manager Buck Showalter, "where I don't look at (bench coach) John Russell and say, "You got to be kidding me?'

"You forget sometimes how young he is, but you never want to suppresses that personality and imagination. And Manny has great imagination. He does things you just can't teach.

"The good Lord kissed him right on the forehead.''

Machado's never made it through a full major league season. He got to game No. 156 in 2013 before suffering gruesome right knee injury while running out a ground ball at Tampa Bay. The partially torn knee ligament and surgery cost him the first month of 2014, a year that ended in August when his left knee gave way.

Still, he feels like he's holding a winning lottery ticket.

"Sometimes, I can't believe how fortunate I am,'' Machado says. "I'm living a childhood dream, and after everything I've been through, it just feels so good to be Manny again.

"This is everything I always wanted.''

Machado's mind, furiously racing now, thinks back to the heartbreak of two major knee surgeries within 11 months, watching his teammates celebrate the AL East title without him, seeing his teammates lose to Kansas City in the postseason and wondering whether he could have made a difference, all of those long days of rehab, the wedding, the honeymoon, and he arrives at a conversation he had with first-base coach Wayne Kirby.

It was on June 3 in Houston.

Machado, frustrated he wasn't off to a better start, hit a sharp grounder to lead off the sixth inning against the Astros. He thought it was a hit, only for shortstop Jonathan Villar to make a fine play, and throw out Machado by a step. If Machado sprinted right out of the batter's box, he would have beaten it out. Yet, his lack of hustle cost him a hit.

Kirby, an eight-year veteran in the major leagues, pulled him aside and scolded Machado, telling him that he has too much passion for the game to be treating it like this. Respect the game, Kirby told him, and it will respect you right back.

"You can't take this game for granted,'' Kirby, 51, told him. "The baseball gods will reward you when you play the game the right way, and he wasn't playing it the right way. If you love the game, and enjoy playing the game, why can't you run and do the right things, and become a ballplayer everyone wants to see play?''

Machado quietly listened, and vowed to himself that he would change before it was too late.

"Oh, my Lord,'' Kirby said. "Ever since that night. …..''

Indeed, in the five weeks since their talk, Machado is hitting .360 with 10 homers and 25 RBI.

"He told me that if I want to be a Hall of Famer,'' Machado said, "go out there and hustle every day. You can't control the game's outcome, or how many hits or homers you get, but you can control how you hustle.

"Once he told me that, my game has changed night and day.''

Machado is reminding folks once again that he's the Orioles' greatest third baseman since Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson. He could also become the first player in franchise history to hit 30 or more homers with 30 stolen bases, prompting Showalter to raise a Bobby Bonds cmoparison thanks to the late All-Star's five 30-30 seasons.

Did we mention Machado's only 23?

The same age as the Chicago Cubs' rookie Kris Bryant, 11 months younger than Los Angeles Angels MVP Mike Trout, and just three months older than Washington Nationals phenom Bryce Harper.

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We have a tendency to forget that, and at times like this, are subtly reminded.

"The truth is that I've been gone, dealing with injuries, so it's easy for forget about me,'' Machado said. "I understand that. People were saying, "Oh, Manny and his knees. He won't be the same player.'

"Well, you know what, I need to show the world that I'm better than I've ever been.''

It's this motivation, maybe this chip, that drives Machado to be the best third baseman in the game, putting him in the same conversation among the best young players in the game.

"I think somewhere in the deep dark places of his mind, he sees that,'' said Orioles third base coach Bobby Dickerson, who has been with Machado since his professional arrival in 2010. "He sees all the attention going to a lot of places, and he knows he belongs in that class of players. He just has to prove it now.''

Machado, who says he feels like he has two brand new knees, wants to be the one to take the baton from Texas Rangers veteran third baseman Adrian Beltre. This is the man Machado has studied since the age of 12, even watching all of his highlights on YouTube to learn his defensive mannerisms.

"I wanted to learn from the best, so I watched a lot of video of him,'' Machado said. "He's a future Hall of Famer, someone you want to look up to. When they were in Baltimore last week, I just sat there watching him, seeing how he did all of his pre-game work, and how he went after balls.

"It's the same with (Orioles shortstop) J.J. Hardy. All of my success defensively is because of him. He's taken my game to another level.''

Now, for the second time in three years, he's an All-Star again. Machado says he's humbled and honored his peers think so highly of him, voting him to the game. It's a reward for all of his hard rehab work recovering from surgery. If he had just one more wish, he would have loved for his mentor to join him at the All-Star Game, who also came back stronger than anyone envisioned.

Yes, New York Yankees DH Alex Rodriguez, who despite the year-long 2014 suspension for performance-enhancing drug use, remains one of Machado's heroes.

"He has always helped me and encouraged me so much,'' Machado says. "He always gives me advice. He's treated me almost like a little brother. I'll always look up to him. For what he's done in this game, 3,000 hits, almost 700 homers, 2,000 RBI, it's just unbelievable.

"I'm proud of him and I know he's proud of me.''

Machado, who lives close in the offseason to Rodriguez in the South Florida, says they tease one another about who will hit the most homers. Machado, whose career-high was 13 before this season, leads by two entering Tuesday night's games. Still, no matter who ends up with the most, Machado realizes the ultimate prize is being on the team that represents the AL East in the playoffs.

It stunk last year sitting in a hospital bed watching your teammates pour champagne over one another, Machado said, while he resorted to sipping champagne in his hospital bed. It was torture watching his teammates get swept by the Royals in the ALCS, losing two one-run games, and tied entering the ninth inning in two others.

"Just seeing my teammates out there, and you not being able to do anything,'' Machado said, "it just sucks. It was so tough to watch. It really makes you appreciate the game more. You don't take anything for granted because you realize that one day, it could all be gone.

"If I go out there and break a leg, I'll break a leg. But you better believe I'm going to leave it all on the field, every single night.

"You go through what I did, and the journey to come back, and you realize just how much of a privilege it is to play this game.''

Lesson learned.

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