With another home run Monday, Orioles third baseman Manny Machado now has four in his last seven games. He's batting .404 (19 for 47) in his last 11 and beginning to show the potential that had everyone so excited before his knee surgery late last season and ugly encounter with the Athletics a few weeks ago.
At age 22, he's only begun to scratch the surface of his potential -- potential so great that it earned him comparisons to Alex Rodriguez when he was drafted back in 2010.
Obviously, he doesn't deserve as much trust as Josh Donaldson, Adrian Beltre or even Todd Frazier, but if you're stuck at 5-9 and need to make some magic happen to move up in the standings, trading one of those more established types for, say, Brandon Moss or Alex Gordon along with Machado, knowing his big breakout could potentially come this year, might be worth the gamble.
Again, I'm not saying Machado is as valuable as Donaldson, Beltre or Frazier yet, but he has a chance to get there. And depending on your specific circumstances, it could be a game-changer for you.