Manny Machado is arguably the best player in free agency this offseason. At worst, he is second best. He's also coming off a postseason when he painted a picture of himself that wasn't flattering in the estimation of many fans. One of the reasons was him not running out ground balls in the NLCS and his response being that he'll never be "Johnny Hustle."

Even Reggie Jackson has come out negative on the subject of Machado and his occasional lack of hustle. 

In light of the backlash he's facing -- and likely the worry that it's costing him tens of millions of dollars in the open market -- Machado looked to clarify his fateful "Johnny Hustle" comments in an interview with Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The pertinent quote: 

"When I was asked that question, I was definitely on the defensive, and I was wrong to answer it the way that I did, because looking back, it doesn't come across how I meant it," Machado said. "For me, I was trying to talk about how I'm not the guy who is eye wash. There's a difference between fake hustle for show and being someone who tries hard to win. I've always been the guy who does whatever he can to win for his team.

"But I know how I said it and how that came across, and it's something I take responsibility for. I look forward to talking with each GM and owner that we meet with about that, or any other questions they have."

First off, I completely agree that some hustle is "eye wash" and "for show" from some players. Some fans eat that up, too. I'm cool with Machado not wanting to be that fake hustler and fully support that -- in fact, I'm on his side on it. I also love him taking responsibility and being accountable for what he believes was a mistake. That's a good quality in a human being. 

I do question one aspect of this, though. I was personal witness to a reporter asking Machado in the Miller Park clubhouse after Game 2 of the NLCS about his perceived lack of hustle. His interview on camera with Ken Rosenthal for Fox came the next day. He had time to think about this, and the "Johnny Hustle" comment came after thinking it over for a day. Now, he can 100 percent still be "on the defensive" after a day to ponder a question, but it's not like he was blind-sided. He knew he was going to get the question on camera and voluntarily showed up for the interview. The answer he gave was surely planned. 

Now it could be argued he's changing his tune based upon the backlash. The Machado side would say he's just clarifying, though. 

Personally, I don't care about any of the hustle stuff. The bottom line is Machado is 26 years old and he just hit .297/.367/.538 (146 OPS+) with 35 doubles, 37 homers, 107 RBI, 14 steals, 5.7 WAR and rated out as an above average shortstop with the Dodgers. I'd take him on my team any day in a heartbeat. I'm just saying that some people do care about the hustle thing and these comments probably won't do much to move the needle.