San Diego Padres star Manny Machado is opening up about some of his heroes in the game. Machado is having a great season, and closing in on 2,000 career hits. The Padres infielder says Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols are all former players he looks up to.

“I looked up to A-Rod, I looked up to Barry [Bonds], I looked up to Albert,” Machado said, per USA TODAY. “They are all the guys I played the game for. Obviously, there’s other pretty, pretty special people, but those were the main guys that inspired my game. Those were guys who played the game elite. We wanted to be those guys.”

Machado said he took a little something from each of those players, when trying to develop his own game.

“I wanted to be A-Rod, obviously, because I was a shortstop. I wanted to have Albert’s swing. I wanted to have the power that Barry had, hitting it into the water and breaking records that were never meant to be broken. … So when people talk about that list, it’s pretty special,” Machado added.

The Padres infielder is doing his best to one day become a Hall of Fame player. Not only is he closing in on 2,000 hits, he is also close to 400 career home runs. This season, Machado is batting .309 with 12 homers.

San Diego holds a 41-35 record this season.

Padres are hoping to win the NL West this year

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The Padres have been one of the most surprising stories in baseball this season. San Diego's pitching got the club out to one of their strongest starts in recent years. Injuries have slowed down the team in recent weeks, as the club has lost seven of their last 10 games.

Machado is undoubtedly one of the team's leaders. He is on his way to becoming the 12th MLB player to post 2,000 hits and 350 home runs before the age of 33, per the outlet. Machado already has 354 career home runs.

Machado's teammates appreciate his offense, but also his grit.

“It’s just crazy what he does, man,” Padres utility player Tyler Wade said. “Last year, he’s dealing with all of his elbow stuff and dealing with other injuries, he doesn’t come out of lineup. When you see a guy doing that, you say, ‘If he’s doing it, I can play with my injuries.’”

The Padres are in action Sunday against the Kansas City Royals.