PHOENIX – Nick Markakis knows plenty of critics questioned the Braves’ signing him to a four-year, $44 million contract from the moment the deal was announced Dec. 3, 2015, even before neck surgery two weeks later that prevented him from working out the rest of that offseason and kept him out of most of spring training.
He knows the skeptics and pundits had a field day last season when he didn’t hit his first home run until after the All-Star break and finished with only three, after never hitting fewer than 10 homers and averaging more than 15 during his nine seasons with the Orioles.
Three homers, a .376 slugging percentage and .746 slugging percentage last season, from a 31-year-old right fielder making $11 million per season? The critics shook their heads. What were the rebuilding Braves thinking? And don’t even get those armed with sabermetric defensive stats started about the supposedly subpar defense of the two-time former Gold Glove winner.
But here’s the thing about Markakis: He doesn’t care what critics think. No, seriously, he does not care. Oh, it probably ticks him off privately, but it doesn’t hurt him or have any effect on his daily existence or the way he goes about his business. Not as long as teammates, coaches and manager appreciate what he does. And since the day he walked in the door of the Braves clubhouse, they’ve all done nothing but praise his professionalism.
And now that Markakis is doing what former Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez and front office officials thought he would do – get better and more consistent again once he had time to regain all the strength he lost following neck surgery – the veteran hasn’t changed his attitude or intense, quiet demeanor. Not one bit.
His overall statistics, other than his nine home runs, weren’t much different entering Thursday than how he finished a year ago: Markakis was batting .273 (down from .296 in 2015) with a .744 OPS. However, for the past 2 ½ months he’s played much like he did at his best with the Orioles, hitting for power, chasing down fly balls – he had two sensational ninth-inning catches Wednesday to send the game to extra innings – and being the best “clutch” hitter on his team.
In his past 63 games before Thursday night’s series finale against the Diamondbacks, going back to June 15, Markakis had a .306 average with 25 extra-base hits and a .363 OBP and .473 slugging percentage (.837 OPS). He ramped it up even more in the past 1 ½ months, batting .311 with 11 doubles, seven home runs, 29 RBIs and a .370 OBP and .509 slugging percentage in 42 games.
Now, about those who said Markakis was done as a productive hitter, that his power was gone and at 32 it wouldn’t come back.
“I know who I am, I know what I’m capable of doing, and I know my body better than anybody,” he said before batting practice Thursday. “People can say what they want, they can predict what they want, but if you look at a guy’s track record and all that, it’s pretty evident of what type of player not just myself, but anybody is. Another example is (Erick) Aybar. He really struggled early on and people said he’s done, he can’t play anymore. I beg to differ. I know what kind of track record he has, I’ve played against him, I know what kind of player he is. Look what he’s doing now. He finished up really well with us and he’s doing well over in Detroit.
“A lot of people can say what they want, predict what they want, but in the end, that individual knows himself best and knows what they’re capable of doing. I’ll just stick with that mindset and do what I’m capable of doing, let everybody else write or say what they want.”
For the season, Markakis’ team-high 33 doubles – he had two Wednesday — were tied for fourth in the National League, and he was hitting .312 in a team-high 141 at-bats with runners in scoring position and a team-best .310 (22-for-71) in the late innings of close games. As for the intangibles that teammates and managers speak of, that part of his game has been uwanvering, even when he was struggling at times last season or early this year.
“He’s a consummate professional,” said Braves interim manager Brian Snitker, who wants young players to watch Markakis and follow his example of preparation. “You look at how he does it every day, and that’s how you do it. How you prepare, and every day is the same.
“I’m amazed every year that I’m here at those kind of guys. I love watching those professionals, those big leaguers who know how to do it. You just see how they approach it, every day is the same, the same thing. How they go about the consistency in their six-month quest to get through the year, is amazing to me.”
Some outside the organization will continue to question the wisdom of having Markakis on the team and insist he should be traded this winter. And maybe he will be dealt, since the Braves will have a crowded outfield with a healthy Mallex Smith, and since Markakis’ contract probably makes him a whole lot more tradeable than left fielder Matt Kemp.
But his recent performance and his overall impact, on the field and in the clubhouse, will give Braves front-office officials at least reasons to hesitate if they do get an offer worth considering for Markakis.
“He’s unbelievable,” Braves second baseman Jace Peterson said. “He’s a pro. He comes to the field every day, he’s the same. He sticks to his approach. He’s a leader on this team. He doesn’t say much, but he’s a leader on this team just by the way he plays and the way he handles himself every day.”
