MLB analyst draws striking parallels between Manny Machado and legendary Phillies 3B Mike Schmidt 

San Diego Padres star third baseman Manny Machado came in at No. 29 ahead of Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (No. 30) in the latest released MLB Top 100 Right Now rankings heading into the 2025 season.

During Tuesday's segment of "MLB Network Radio", host Greg Amsinger went to compare Machado with the legacy of 12-time All-Star and former Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt.

Amsinger compared the numbers of both third basemen and was startled to find the similarities.

"At some point, you start comparing him to the greatest who have ever played the position, and that is Mike Schmidt," Amsinger said. "Through their first 13 seasons, this is actually not fair to Manny because he broke in at such a young age. Mike Schmidt was a bit older because players used to spend more seasons in the minor leagues back then.

"But look at the 162-game averages — better batting average, nearly the same home runs and RBIs. It is impressive what Manny's doing. Nine more years to reach Mike Schmidt’s age — well, maybe Manny can do the same," he added.

The Padres third baseman batted .279 with 1,900 hits, 342 homers, 1,049 RBIs and 991 runs scored in 1,735 games in his first 13 seasons.

On the other hand, Mike Schmidt, who played all his 18 seasons with the Phillies, slashed a .265 batting average with 1,642 hits, 425 homers, 1,180 RBIs and 1,161 runs scored in 1,789 games in his first 13 seasons.

Upon comparison, while Machado has a better batting average, Schmidt leads in home runs and RBIs.

Manny Machado nearing milestones that could elevate him to best 3B ever in MLB

Machado is still 32, which means he still has nine years on Schmidt.

With 342 home runs, Machado needs to average at least 18 home runs per season in the coming nine seasons to reach 500 career home runs.

Moreover, with 1,900 career hits, he needs to average over 124 hits per season for nine years to reach the elusive list of 3,000 career hits.

Both of these feats, if achieved, could push Manny Machado's legacy as the best third baseman ever to grace the MLB field.