Atlanta Braves: Markakis Is Ol’ Mister Steady And Reliable
By W. M. Lawson
The Atlanta Braves are in the throes of Spring Training. With many questions abounding, Nick Markakis in Right Field isn’t one of them.
You know that feeling when you were a kid and you had to stand as high as you could and peak over a fence to see what was happening? That’s kind of the feeling right now with fans regarding the Atlanta Braves and Spring Training. A strained curiosity to know what the @#$% is happening. One thing, though, that most fans don’t fret over is Nick Markakis in Left Field.
From the moment that he got here, Markakis has been that sure steady swing when the golf tournament is on the line. What I mean by that is, when things are going sideways, and the pressure is on, it’s the sure steady golf swing that will hold up. Flash can win money. Sure and steady wins.
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Think about all of the tumult the Atlanta Braves, and their fans, have endured just in the last 12 months. GM fired and banned. That’s pretty big. Kemp, Phillips, and Adams gone. That’s big in the clubhouse. Freddie Freeman was playing 3rd Base for @#$% sakes. It’s been weird. And, not in a good way.
But, not with Nick Markakis. Dude shows up and plays. And when he plays you know what you are going to get. And what you get is pretty productive.
Folks, some I suspect, forget that Markakis had neck surgery before we signed him. It wasn’t just the Tommy John guys we signed. Markakis was surgical, too.
But, upon joining the club in 2015, he’s played in 156, 158, and 160 games each season, respectively. That’s not great, but it’s more than I would’ve guessed when we signed him.
And it isn’t just that he plays a vast majority of the season. Last year his line read .275 BA, .738 OPS, 76 RBI, 39 Doubles. It’s not Hall of Fame. But it ain’t bad either. He did Strike Out more last year, than any other year since 2008, but that can be corrected. The new park, and all.
And the thing is, that’s pretty close to the stat line he has given every year since joining the Braves. Nick Markakis is steady, sure, and productive. In a time when Freeman is playing 3rd.
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So, with all of the questions surrounding our beloved Atlanta Braves, let’s take a brief pause to appreciate something that isn’t a question. Nick Markakis in Right Field is as close to a sure thing Atlanta has these days.
(Key: @#$% means heck and crap, respectively).