13 Manny Machado, 3B

Comparisons to Alex Rodriguez and a .343 batting average through 172 at-bats have most Fantasy owners expecting big things from Orioles third baseman Manny Machado. But is he on the same level as Mike Trout and Bryce Harper?

Special guest Brian Kenny of MLB Network said on Thursday’s Fantasy Baseball Today that he sees Machado on a tier just below that of Trout and Harper, which he considers a future perennial All Star.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado had another monster performance Wednesday afternoon during a home loss to San Diego. Machado doubled three times among four hits in the loss to the Padres. 

He went 4 for 5 in the game and scored two of the four Baltimore runs. Machado has hit in nine of his last 10 games. He's gone 14 for 25 (.560) over his last five games with five doubles and two RBI over that stretch. 

Machado is currently batting .343, which is fourth in the American League. He's second in the AL in runs with 30 and 10th in slugging percentage at .541. He's homered five times with 24 RBI and four stolen bases and has played Gold Glove defense at third base. 

When Orioles third baseman Manny Machado was a standout high school player in Miami, he elicited comparisons to another phenom who hailed from South Florida: Alex Rodriguez. The parallels continued when Machado was selected as the third overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft; Rodriguez had been chosen first by the Mariners in 1993.

Naturally, the two paths of their major-league careers will be analyzed and it appears Machado, who was roughly 13 months older than A-Rod at the time of his debut, holds a slight edge approaching his 100th game. According to the Baltimore Sun, through the first 89 games of their careers, Machado has more runs scored (52 to 38), doubles (22-18), homers (12-11), RBI (50-44) and a higher batting average (.294-.253).

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado singled in the first, doubled in the fifth and singled in the seventh in Sunday's series finale against the Twins. He finished 3 for 5 and improved his batting average to .331 after Sunday's 6-0 victory.

Machado, 20, became the first player under 21 years old to have three-consecutive three-hit games since Rennie Stennett of the Pirates in September 1971. He is hitting .563 with two doubles and two RBI in his last three games -- all against Minnesota.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado has been better than fellow phenoms Mike Trout and Bryce Harper over the first 84 games of their respective big-league careers, MASNSports.com reports Saturday. 

Former Baltimore executive Jim Duquette pointed out that Machado tops Harper and Trout in batting average, homers, RBI and doubles over that span. 

Machado has a .284 average with 12 homers, 47 RBI and 20 doubles in his first 84 games. Harper has gone .258 with nine HRs, 29 RBI and 16 doubles. Trout is at .282 with 11 HRs, 42 RBI and 16 doubles. 

Machado's RBI single to right Friday in the 10th inning in Minnesota helped the Orioles rally for the win. He's batting .314 with five homers and 23 RBI over 153 at-bats.