Every year, baseball fields worldwide are crammed with 1000’s of younger, native phenoms seeking to be the subsequent Manny Machado. On the identical time, professional scouts are tasked with scouring these identical international sandlots to select the handful of potential standouts who might—or might not—excel on the subsequent degree.
And whereas predicting an athlete’s future efficiency is certainly not an actual science, it’s typically mentioned that with the intention to be the most effective, expertise alone isn’t sufficient. Specialists can probably agree on this: Work ethic and dedication are oftentimes the nice separators between mid-level prospect and perennial All-Star.
Right this moment, in terms of who’s probably the most gifted and genetically gifted participant in baseball, Machado’s identify is at or close to the highest of each baseball authority’s checklist. It’s also possible to throw in most devoted athlete as nicely. Now in his 14th season, the San Diego Padres All-Star third-baseman’s fielding prowess is the stuff of legend—watching Machado throw a baseball throughout the infield can nonetheless make jaws drop and eyes pop.
After which there’s his offensive dominance. With 356 residence runs to his credit score, the 33-year-old is a well-rounded juggernaut, ok to have turn out to be one of many sport’s most revered gamers and incomes him the sort of wage (in 2023, Machado signed an 11-year, $350 million contract) that has secured generational wealth.
As Machado ready for the 2025 season—his seventh as a member of the Padres—he spent most of this offseason within the gymnasium, beneath the watchful eye of tremendous coach Nick Soto, one of the vital well-rounded athletic coaches on the earth.
Soto’s strategy might be labeled unconventional, however after witnessing his star shopper’s efficiency for greater than a decade, it’s been confirmed efficient. The coach focuses on explosiveness, pace, and the sort of general practical energy that helps his shoppers attain the highest of their sport.
Soto’s type doesn’t resemble the cookie-cutter strategy deployed by most athletic trainers—he builds packages with a deep understanding of his shopper’s strengths, musculature, vulnerabilities, psychological toughness, and an array of different elements that preserve his elite athletes on the prime of their sport yr in and yr out. Machado isn’t any exception.
“I’ve been coaching with Nick for a very long time,” explains Machado. “His understanding of physiology and general efficiency has been a giant a part of my growth. Success on the sector begins with what I’m doing within the gymnasium, away from the intense lights.”
Consistency Retains Manny Machado on the High of His Recreation
Machado’s exercise routine by no means modifications. The second the season ends, he and Soto might be discovered practically on daily basis on the College of Miami’s baseball coaching facility. It’s no secret that South Florida is residence to a number of the most elite baseball expertise on the planet, a actuality that surrounds Soto with the most effective of the most effective, forcing him to consistently up his sport as each a coach and as a pacesetter in his area. Soto additionally serves as energy & conditioning coach for the Hurricanes baseball group, a five-time nationwide championship program.
“It’s all about making somebody as highly effective and explosive as they are often,” he explains, “all whereas with the ability to transfer and coordinate at optimum angles and with optimum timing, and eventually being resilient sufficient to deal with the stress of the motion patterns so we will mitigate accidents as a lot as doable.”
In different phrases, Soto says, “I wish to make athletes explosive, superior movers, who’re resilient in physique and thoughts.”
Machado was lately named a starter on the Nationwide League All Star group—it’s his seventh All-Star look. However on the identical time his affect has prolonged past the baseball area. He and together with his spouse Yainee are the mother and father of 1-year-old son. On the identical time Machado additionally turned part-owner of Main League Soccer’s San Diego FC.
As he continues piling up Corridor of Fame-like numbers, Machado understands that his low season coaching is extra vital now than it’s ever been. And he’s displaying no indicators of slowing down. His profession stats place him among the many finest energetic gamers within the sport. Nevertheless, Machado realizes that baseball is a group sport, and his primary purpose stays getting that elusive World Collection ring.
“I’ve been capable of do some nice issues within the sport, however the purpose is the ring,” Machado says. “That’s why I play—to win and to present the followers in San Diego what they deserve. That’s why I put within the work on daily basis.”
Olympia President and Solomon has adopted Machado’s baseball profession from the start. “Manny is totally different. His uncooked expertise speaks for itself, however what separates him is his depth, his fireplace. He’s actual. Not everybody understands his distinctive strategy to the sport, however he’s the final word teammate and his low season exercises with Nick Soto are a giant a part of his success. When it’s all mentioned and finished, he’ll go down as among the best to ever play the sport.”
Soto research Machado’s efficiency at varied factors in the course of the season, looking for methods to raise his sport.
“A humorous truth is I’m not a giant baseball fan in any respect,” confesses Soto, “I’m a participant fan, and I’m a fan of motion. So after I watch a sport the place my guys are enjoying I’m taking a look at motion patterns, (I’m taking a look at), do they give the impression of being snug, fast, quick, explosive, tight? Are they kicking too far behind once they must take off on a dash? These are the issues I discover. An athlete ought to be striving for bodily enchancment because the season progresses, we wish them to be prepared when the stakes are the best.”
Make sure to tune in to the 2025 MLB All-Star sport on July 15 (televised on FOX), and watch Machado together with the most effective in baseball.
To study extra about Nick Soto’s strategy to coaching elite athlete athletes, go to the www.EliteUperformance.com
