Topes Notes: Well-traveled Vimael Machín one of several vets bringing winning culture to Isotopes clubhouse

Vimael Machín has played for 20 teams since the summer of 2014. From summer college wood-bat leagues back east to plenty of Minor League teams, a couple of stretches in the Majors and numerous international games for his native Puerto Rico, the 32-year-old infielder has an awful lot of experiences and interactions to draw from. So when asked what it is about this season with the Albuquerque Isotopes that has him feeling so upbeat and positive — both with great performance on the field and good vibes off it — his answer carries some weight.

"All those teams, this is the most fun I've had in my whole career," Machín told the Journal last week during his team's six-game homestand against the Oklahoma City Comets. "I'm 32 years old, about to be 33, and I've been playing pro since 2015, so me saying this, I mean it. I wake up every day here and I just want to get to the field.

It's always fun. " Winning (the Isotopes are 25-20 and one game out of first in the Pacific Coast League standings) and hitting (he's hitting . 347 with five home runs, 26 RBIs and has a .

573 slugging percent in 33 games) are a big part of those good feelings, of course. But so, too, is the "winning" clubhouse atmosphere that Isotopes manager Pedro Lopez and Colorado Rockies front office personnel have told the Journal was very much an offseason goal with the types of players brought in to fill the roster around the core of young, top prospects. And Machín, along with veteran players like Blake Crimm, Dre Avans, Chad Stevens and a few others, are a big part of that calculated roster construction that has paid off so far this season.