Manny Machado's Padres Are Playing Like a 1st-Place Team?And Will Get Better

And while Bob Melvin brought all sorts of accolades and credibility with him when he replaced Jayce Tingler in the manager's chair, even his leadership could be tested if losses start piling up.That has yet to happen, though, because it's never a bad thing to have several of the best players in baseball, an excellent supporting cast and a plan of attack that just plain works.It's the Machado, Musgrove and Rogers ShowThere's no singularly right way to build a competitive team, but it's doubtful that anyone will object to a blueprint that calls for a three-pronged foundation with a superstar hitter and ace hurlers in the starting rotation and bullpen.Speaking of, let's see where Manny Machado, Joe Musgrove and Taylor Rogers rank among position players, starters and relievers in FanGraphs WAR:Yup, that'll work.Machado began the season with just one hit in eight at-bats. That's a .115 average, and close to half of those at-bats (43) have ended with strikeouts.So in case anyone was curious about where the bulk of San Diego's MLB-leading 22 quality starts and 18 saves have come from, there you go.With Special Guest Stars Hosmer, Kim, Profar, Gore and CrismattAfter it was revealed that Tatis would be out for several months with a fractured left wrist, anyone could have looked at San Diego and assumed Machado would have to get the bulk of his support from Wil Myers, Luke Voit and Jake Cronenworth. Against it, batters are just 4-for-47 with 14 strikeouts.Who Needs Power When You Have Situational Hitting and Defense?If the 2022 Padres have a fatal flaw, it's not that they're missing Tatis or that they're getting potentially unsustainable production from role players while they wait on stars not named Machado, Musgrove or Rogers.It's power. It's indeed faring well with the three true outcomes, ranking sixth, 10th and 15th in strikeouts, walks and home runs per nine innings.Besides, the San Diego pitchers also have something of a secret weapon: defense.Should know better than to hit it into the Crone Zone ⭐️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TimeToShine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TimeToShine</a> <a href="https://t.co/sGKII99yBK">pic.twitter.com/sGKII99yBK</a>The Padres are nothing if not efficient, as only six teams have been better at converting balls in play into outs.