One day removed from Steve Johnson’s sparkling starting debut, the Orioles left no doubt about their playoff aspirations when they called up top prospect Manny Machado.

The third overall selection of the 2010 MLB Draft, the 20-year-old Machado will play third base in the bigs. He is expected to get most of his early starts against left-handed pitchers, but could claim the everyday job due to his defense.

Viewed as the shortstop of the future, Machado only logged two games at the hot corner this season with Double-A Bowie. He made one error in seven chances, whatever that is worth. In 104 games at short he posted a solid .954 fielding percentage. He has been taking balls at third as frequently as four times a week down on the farm.

Machado’s bat will not bump Baltimore out of the lower third of most rankings. He owns a .266/.352/.438 line with 11 home runs and 59 RBI in Bowie. He is a career .263 hitter in the minors who smacks fastballs and is still adjusting to the professional breaking ball.

At 6’3″, 185 pounds, Machado is still developing his body and is years away from reaching his 20 home run potential. His youth make his offensive numbers best served with a grain of salt. Perhaps the Orioles see something his numbers do not show? His 2011 numbers, .257/.335/.421, do not pop off the page, but Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations, Dan Duquette, felt comfortable promoting Machado from A+ to AA to start 2012.

Maybe the O’s system knows something we don’t know. More likely, football season starts today, the Orioles are tied for the AL Wild Card, and they want to strike both a clubhouse and a city with playoff baseball fever. Machado’s call up will go down as more of a symbolic roster move than one that will offer direct on-field rewards.

Expect Machado to hit around .250 with singe digit homers and around 20 RBI by seasons end. He will make some Sportscenter worthy stops at third, and if all goes well, his vibrant youth and now-is-the-time symbolism will be his biggest contribution to the Baltimore clubhouse as they surge their way into a postseason only one blogger saw coming.

Another note worth watching is the AA call up of top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy. Bundy owned a 6-3 record with a 2.98 ERA and 10.4 K/9 in 54.1 IP in A+. Bundy could very well be a September call up if the O’s remain in contention.

Watch Machado make his debut against lefty Will Smith and the Kansas City Royals in Camden Yards at 7:05 EST.

The Big Guy