Atlanta Braves’ Nick Markakis is a Better Baseball Player Than Jason Heyward

So, in 2015 Jason Heyward has his best year, while Nick Markakis has a better year (which is an average year for Nick Markakis) and all you hear about is Jason Heyward and who’s going to sign him to that big contract. Then it happened. Since we can assume Jason Heyward’s payday and clouded high opinions of him are from his performance last year (because, let’s be honest, prior to 2015, which is ONE YEAR, there is little to talk about in regards to Heyward), let’s talk about Nick Markakis’ 2015 campaign.

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• Top 3 NL right fielders in BA in 2015: Bryce Harper (.330), Ender Inciarte (.303), Nick Markakis (.296)
• Most hits by a right fielder in MLB in 2015 – Nick Markakis (181)
• Most doubles in 2015 by a right fielder in the NL – Harper and Markakis (both with 38)
• Markakis – 2nd best OBP of right fielders in the NL: .370 OBP (second to Harper, of course)
• Of NL right fielders with 120+ games played in 2015, Nick Markakis had the fewest strikeouts. (83)
• Highest fielding % of all NL right fielders in 2015 – Nick Markakis (.997)
• Highest fielding % of all MLB right fielders in 2015 – Nick Markakis (.997)

Let’s implore some basic reasoning skills here. If Jason Heyward is better than Nick Markakis, why did Nick Markakis have better numbers in 2015? In 2015 alone Nick Markakis had a better on-base percentage, a better batting average (come at me, you saber-heads), more hits and fewer strike outs than Jason Heyward. So please, spare me your “I’d rather have Jason Heyward than Nick Markakis” arguments.

Next: Overselling those Advanced Stats