The Orioles are headed to the postseason for the first time since 2014 after winning an American League Wild Card. As this will be the first time that many fans across the Majors will be focusing on their roster, here's our attempt to learn the origins of infielder Manny Machado.
Manny Machado, 3B
Born: Hialeah, Fla.
DOB: 7/6/1992
HS: Brito Miami Private School (Fla.)
College: None
Minors: GCL Orioles (R), Aberdeen (A-), Delmarva (A), Frederick (A+), Bowie (AA)
:: Before they were Postseason-bound: Select a player ::
Path to Baltimore: The Orioles drafted Machado with the No. 3 overall pick in 2010.
Trophy case: Three-time American League All-Star (2013, '15-16). Two-time Gold Glove winner (2013, '15). 2013 AL Platinum Glove Award. AL Player of the Month for April 2016. Named to 2012 All-Star Futures Game.
Famous feat(s): Homered in each of the first three innings of the Orioles' game Aug. 7 against the White Sox, becoming only the second Major Leaguer in history to do so (Carl Reynolds, 1930). Led the AL with 51 doubles in 2013; the only other player to have a 50-double season at age 20 or younger is Alex Rodriguez (1996). In 2013, became the first Orioles third baseman to win the Gold Glove since Brooks Robinson in 1975.
You might not know: Machado was the only player in baseball to play in all 162 games last season. He was the first Orioles player to play every game of a season since Adam Jones did it in 2012. At age 22, Machado was also the youngest player to play 162 games in a year since Starlin Castro did it when he was 22, also in '12.
Six degrees of Willie Aikens: In 2009, Machado played for the USA Baseball 18-and-under national team, along with the two players taken ahead of him in the 2010 Draft -- Bryce Harper and Jameson Taillon (Machado's current Orioles teammate Kevin Gausman was also on the team). Machado helped the U.S. win gold in the Pan American Junior Championships in Venezuela. Both he and Harper were named to the all-tournament team -- Harper as the catcher, Machado as the shortstop.
All in the family: Machado's first career Opening Day, against the Rays in 2013, was attended by two important guests: his mother, Rosa Nunez, and his uncle, Gio Brito. "This is a dream," Nunez said watching her son play. "And if it is, then don't wake me up."
Brito coached Machado throughout his childhood, and Machado wanted to play so badly, he would wait at his uncle's house during the day for Brito to get home so the two could play ball. Once, a 9-year-old Machado told his uncle he had to come out of a game -- he was sick, and started throwing up. There were no towels, so Nunez had her son clean up the mess with his socks. Once he had, he begged his uncle to let him back in the game. Manny played sockless the rest of the game.
Brothers in arms: In 2014, Machado got married to Yainee Alonso, his girlfriend, whose older brother is A's first baseman Yonder Alonso. Machado and Yonder are longtime friends. Last June, Yonder played a rare game at third base for the Padres -- so he borrowed a glove from Machado.
And Alonso has his brother-in-law's back -- especially when Machado was getting overlooked in the "Trout vs. Harper" debates a few years ago. "It's wrong; it's just wrong," Yonder said in a 2013 interview with USA Today. "I hate that. It's not right. You're not going to compare him to Trout and the other dude?"