NEW YORK – So much has been written about the Braves’ offensive woes this season, but two things have been largely overshadowed: 1. They’ve faced more legitimate aces than perhaps any other National League team, exacerbating the Braves’ deficiencies; and 2. Right fielder Nick Markakis is having a very good season.
Yes, the veteran whose signing to a four-year, $44 million free agent contract after the 2014 season was criticized by many – still is by some — who couldn’t understand the Braves not going all-in on youth and dismissed the notion that Markakis, by all accounts a consummate pro, could help young players by example.
After leading the team in hits (181), doubles (38), on-base percentage (.370) and games played (156) in 2015 despite neck surgery in December 2014 that caused him to miss an entire offseason of workouts, Markakis has taken things up a notch in his second season with the Braves.
The former Woodstock High School and Young Harris College standout was batting .293 with a .400 on-base percentage in 25 games before Tuesday, and Markakis was tied for the National League lead in doubles (11), fourth in the majors in average with runners in scoring position (.522), and tied for 10th in RBIs (20).
He had yet to hit a home run this season after hitting only three in 2014, but Markakis’ .813 OPS before Tuesday was 20 points higher than his average OPS in nine seasons with Baltimore, where Markakis averaged just over 14 homers and hit at least 10 every season.
Earlier this year Braves veteran Kelly Johnson, also a former teammate of Markakis in Baltimore, discussed how much he’d meant to the team last season and why criticism of Markakis last season was off the mark.
“I get it about the one column (home runs) not being what everybody wanted,” Johnson said. “But look at the OPS (.746), it was pretty dang good. I expect a few more (homers from him in 2016), but if he does what he did last year and adds a few home runs? You’re talking about an over-.800 OPS. That’s huge. But his value, knowing what you’re going to get when his at-bat comes up; I’d like to have him up there when there’s guys on base, whether it’s a hit-and-run, moving a guy over, getting a guy in – as much as possible. Because you can count on him to do what he’s supposed to do.”
As for Markakis’ leadership in his second season with the Braves, Johnson said: “I think that’s the bigger thing, is everyone knows what he’s all about and they understand how he goes about it. That’s a form of leadership, too – the guy never missed his routine, that’s one thing you noticed when you walk into weight room or a training room and you see a guy doing the same thing that he does to get himself ready, and then he goes and backs it up, and you know it works. That’s important for leadership.”
One other thing: During the first half of the 2015 season, some Braves fans and media members pointed out the superior production that St. Louis was getting at the time from Jason Heyward, the Gold Glover who manned right field for the Braves before being traded to the Cardinals after the 2014 season.
Not as many of those comparisons have been made recently between Markakis and Heyward, who was batting .211 with no homers and a .573 OPS through Tuesday in the first year of an eight-year, $184 million contract with the Cubs.
Markakis thrived in the second half of the 2015 season as his strength increased. Below are offensive comparisons between Markakis and Heyward beginning July 20:
• Heyward: 89 games, .275 average (88-for-320), 26 extra-base hits (four homers), 40 RBIs, .363 OBP, .391 slugging percentage, 14 stolen bases.
• Markakis: 90 games, .304 average (109-for-358), 32 extra-base hits (three homers), 44 RBIs, .377 OBP, .413 slugging percentage, 0 stolen bases.
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