Atlanta Braves: The legacy of Nick Markakis and defining statistics
The Atlanta Braves’ Nick Markakis has exercised his option to sit out the 2020 season. We take a look at his legacy as a Brave and some defining statistics from his career.
Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis has opted out of the 2020 season. This news came not long after we found out Freddie Freeman had tested positive for COVID-19. Markakis was excited to be back to work, but after speaking with Freeman and hearing how ill he was, he decided it was not worth the risk.
This definitely begs more questions about player safety, the likelihood a full season is completed, and if it even should be attempted. However, today we will focus on the legacy Markakis leaves behind, what’s next for him, and some incredible statistics that represent the player.
Atlanta Braves – The Legacy of Nick Markakis
The signing of Nick Markakis a lone bright spot in a cloud of darkness that had engulfed Braves’ country in 2015. After reaching great highs with 96 wins in 2013 on the backs of youngsters like Andrelton Simmons, Freddie Freeman, Julio Teheran, Craig Kimbrel, Kris Medlen, Justin Upton, and the rest of the guys, 2014 was a different story.
Medlen was second only to Clayton Kershaw in ERA over the previous year and a half. Hopes were high heading to camp that season. When Medlen blew out his arm during a spring training game, it was a terrible sign of things to come.
Medlen was ordered to go under the knife for Tommy John and Brandon Beachy wasn’t far behind him. Both players would have their second Tommy John surgery. Very little went right after the loss of the two young pitchers.
Atlanta Braves – The Legacy of Nick Markakis (cont’d)
Melvin Upton and Dan Uggla had a 1.062 slugging percentage if you added them together… which is absolutely preposterous.
Chris Johnson took a step in the wrong direction that season as his .292 OBP was lower than his .321 batting average from the previous season.
At the end of the 79-win season, the Braves broke it down and traded away Justin Upton, B.J. Upton, Craig Kimbrel, Evan Gattis, Jordan Walden, Tommy La Stella, Anthony Varvaro, and Jason Heyward. Ouch.
So, forgive us if we weren’t very excited when they signed Nick Markakis. Nobody was in a good mood about anything in Braves’ country.
We knew Markakis was a solid ballplayer, but the signing reeked of a rebuild. He seemed like a token veteran to help lead a young group through rough terrain. It didn’t bode well for…you know, winning a bunch of games.
Markakis came with his own concerns. He was on the cusp of having neck-fusion surgery and there was some uncertainty if he’d be recovered by Opening Day. The MRI on his neck revealed a bulging disk that stalled the contract negotiations that would have kept him with the Orioles.
The Braves were confident in the surgeons and in Markakis that he’d be ready to go by Opening Day and when they put pen to paper they put an end to a nine-year run in Baltimore for the right fielder.
So, while we may not have had a lot of room for optimism as fans, we were getting a pretty darn good ballplayer.
Atlanta Braves – The Legacy of Nick Markakis (Cont’d)
As baseball began and the fans were able to process their emotions toward the team a little better, we began to enjoy what we were being given that season. I still had to watch…you have to!
Markakis was not a prolific home run hitter by any means. Unfortunately, that can be a determining factor in how recognized a baseball player is by the general public. We got one heck of a player. Over his nine seasons in Baltimore Markakis trailed only Derek Jeter and Ichiro Suzuki in singles with 1,074.
During that time he registered the ninth most doubles, a .358 OBP, a .290 BA, and of players with at least 5,000 plate appearances he posted the eighth-lowest strikeout percentage between 2006-2014, one spot better than the great Derek Jeter.
He gave the Braves exactly what they signed up for when they handed him his four-year, $44 million contract. He continued to amass doubles. During his years with the Braves, he and Freddie Freeman tied for the sixth-most doubles in the league with 183.
He hit .283 as a Brave, his 10.2% walk rate was better than players like Jose Ramirez and J.D. Martinez. He improved his stellar .358 OBP by one point as a Brave.
He earned his lone all-star appearance as an Atlanta Brave in 2018 when he hit .297 with 43 doubles. He was also awarded the third Gold Glove of his career that season.
He helped steer a vessel full of placeholders (in many cases) through the rocky waters until a new crop of stars reached the big leagues. Markakis was a professional and a role-model in his time with the Braves. He gave many of us a player to cheer for in a dark time.
To this day, my son’s favorite player is Nick Markakis, and ever since 2015 he has requested the number 22 on each of his little league teams…One time he had to settle for Freddie Freeman’s number five.
Things my son learned from watching Markakis: “Be patient, don’t give away at-bats, hit lots of line-drives, and if John Hart ever yells at your dad until he’s about to cry, you threaten to kick his a–.”
He was and still is the epitome of the phrase “that’s a professional at-bat.”
Atlanta Braves – What’s Next for Nick Markakis?
Markakis was about to begin his sixth season with the Braves in 2020. He was on a one-year deal and they brought in Marcell Ozuna in the offseason. It appeared his at-bats might be limited in 2020, then the pandemic hit.
Upon the announcement that the National League would utilize the designated hitter this season, it appeared that we would indeed get a steady dose of Nick Markakis. In 2019, he slashed .298/.371/.446 against right-handed pitching, with all nine of his homers coming against righties.
He has a career OPS against right-handed pitching of .808 and still posted a .816 OPS against them in 2019.
Markakis has only said that his future is unclear at the moment.
Should he decide to give it a go in 2021 at the age of 37, I hope there is a team that will give him an opportunity.
Nick Markakis – A Few Career-Defining Statistics
- 32nd among active career rWAR with 34.2
- 136th all-time in hits with 2,355
- 64th all-time in doubles with 499
- 186th all-time in extra-base hits with 709. An impressive feat considering he wasn’t a prolific home run hitter.
- 129th all-time in sacrifice flies with 73.
- 1st all-time in fielding percentage as a right fielder with .9937
His career slash line sits at .288/.358/.424 and his career OPS+ is 109. With talented young outfielders such as Cristian Pache and Drew Waters coming down the pike, we’ve probably seen the last of Markakis in a Braves uniform.
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We thank him for the memories and wish him all the best. So long and thanks for all the fish!