Eric Hosmer on Padres star Manny Machado's Hall of Fame odds

One could debate for hours on just which active players have already made a strong case to one day be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

One could debate for hours on just which active players have already made a strong case to one day be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. There are other stars who are far from locks for the Baseball Hall of Fame but have put together formidable seasons as of late, such as San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado.

From Chicago Cubs slugger Eric Hosmer's standpoint, he believes that Machado is on the right track to becoming a Hall of Famer.

“He’s solidified himself as one of the top five players in the game, who’s on a Hall of Fame track,” Hosmer told USA Today Sports’ Bob Nightengale.

Machado orchestrated one of the most productive seasons of his career in the 2022 campaign, which Hosmer had a front-row seat to watch the first half of. The six-time All-Star logged 32 home runs and 102 RBI en route to finishing in second place in the voting for the 2022 National League MVP Award.

Machado’s keen play in the 2022 season helped him earn an 11-year, $350 million extension deal from the Padres, which the two sides came to terms on last month. The $31.8 million average annual value on Machado's deal currently ranks in the top 10 in all of baseball.

“He’s doing everything the right way,” Hosmer said. “You hear about guys who get the big contract, and maybe change their ways, but Manny was doing that after he got that first big contract [10 years, $300 million].

“He’s earned every piece of that, big time.”

Even with the plethora of All-Star talents across the San Diego roster, Hosmer sees that the veteran third baseman has established himself as the face of the Padres franchise.

“That’s what’s cool now,” Hosmer said. “You go to certain places, like when you went to St. Louis, you were going to Yadi’s [Molina] town. You go to Kansas City, and you were going to Salvy’s [Salvador Perez] town.

“Now, you go to San Diego, you’re pretty much going to the house that Manny built.”

The Padres will kick off their 2023 regular season campaign with a combined six straight home matchups against the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks.