CINCINNATI -- Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado wasn’t able to advance out of the first round in Monday night’s Home Run Derby at Great American Ball Park, but fantasy owners aren’t complaining. The player I named my midseason fantasy MVP, thanks to his top-10 placement on the ESPN Fantasy Player Rater combined with being available in the 10th round of most ESPN average live drafts, has produced wondrous statistics in each of the standard categories. And according to Machado, whom I spoke with at players media availability earlier Monday, it’s OK to be a bit surprised.

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