Nick Markakis hit a two-run homer for Baltimore against Detroit’s Justin Verlander in Game 2 of their division series in October, and hasn’t hit a home run since.
But considering he had major neck surgery in December, which prevented him from doing any running, weight lifting or other baseball activities before spring training, approaching the quarter pole of the season without a homer isn’t of great concern for the veteran right fielder in his first year with the Braves.
He was batting .297 with a .388 on-base percentage – above his career marks in both categories – before Wednesday, when he made his 38th start in 39 Braves games. He had six extra-base hits (all doubles), 10 RBIs and a .340 slugging percentage that was 95 points lower than his percentage in nine seasons with the Orioles.
“This ballpark don’t help,” said Markakis, who had a flyball caught at the right-center field warning track Tuesday that would’ve been a homer in most stadiums. “But when you take off that much time, you don’t get (strength) back right away. I wasn’t able to do what most players do in the offseason. I went into spring training basically cold turkey.
“I’m just happy where I am now, healthy, working hard, trying to get my strength back. And just going out there and competing every day.”
Before signing a four-year, $44 million free-agent contract with the Braves, Markakis, 31, spent his entire career with the Orioles, batting .290 with a .358 OBP and 141 homers, including at least 10 homers every season. He had a .386 slugging percentage in 2014, but his .729 OPS before Wednesday was identical to last year due to the higher OBP.
“I just want to get on base,” he said, “whether it’s a single, double, home run, walk – just try to get on base and score some runs. Strength will come back, it’s just a matter of time. And if I can get on base and score runs, with a good on-base percentage, get my hits and get on and help this team, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Markakis’ last two regular-season homers came at Yankee Stadium in a six-RBI, three-game stretch in Baltimore’s next-to-last series of 2014.
The only NL hitters who’d gone homerless in more at-bats this season than Markakis (141 ABs before Wednesday) were Dee Gordon (159), Ben Revere (154) and Angel Pagan (146). Not the kind of hitters one associates with Markakis, who hit cleanup Wednesday for the fifth consecutive game since Kelly Johnson strained an oblique.
Markakis had 14 homers in 2014 despite playing with a herniated disk that was first diagnosed in March 2013 and had progressively worsened. He had surgery two weeks after signing with the Braves.
He might not be back at full strength until he can put in the long and arduous weight workouts he next winter. He lifts in-season, but has to temper those workouts when he’s playing every day.
“Strength can take you a long way in this game,” he said. “It’s one thing having the hand-eye coordination to be able to hit a baseball. But if you put a little bit of strength combined with hand-eye coordination, it takes you a long way. It’s a slow process. It’s something I expected, and it’s something that I’m going to work through and build on it.
“When you go into an offseason and have surgery and take away your whole offseason, it really puts a curve into your season. It’s just a matter of how you deal with it and approach it.”
As for being in the lineup every day, Markakis never doubted he could do it the way others doubted him in the spring. He played at least 155 games in seven of the past eight seasons, and didn’t see any reason that should change despite not being cleared to play spring-training games until barely a week left in camp.
“I knew if I felt good I’d be out there every day,” he said. “That’s my main goal is to be out there. You can’t contribute when you’re on the DL or on the bench.”
