Atlanta Braves’ Top 5 Performers of April
1. Nick Markakis
Heading into the final year of his four-year deal, Nick Markakis looked like an aging veteran on his way out the door by season’s end.
If April is any indicator, Markakis disagrees.
One glance at him tells you he shouldn’t be a cleanup hitter. He doesn’t pose a power threat behind Freddie Freeman. Given the choice, most pitchers would opt to face the 34-year-old with a history of back problems over the 28-year-old first baseman in his career’s prime.
Yet somehow Markakis made it all work in April. Five home runs have him closing in on his total of eight from all of last year. He sprayed the ball across the field, played consistent defense. Even though his range is no longer what it used to be, Markakis snagged anything and everything he could get to.
The Braves are all about getting on base and making contact. No one has done that better than Markakis in April. He’s one of a handful of batters across the league who can say they walked more than they struck out when he came to bat. When he’s not taking walks, he’s racking up base hits and driving in Albies and Freeman.
Markakis isn’t going to give you 40 home runs. He won’t even get you 25. That’s not to say he doesn’t have any pop left. When he wants, he can still power it out. Just look at his first career walk-off home run he hit earlier this month.
April has the Braves looking forward to regaining their glory of yesteryear. With strong performances across the team, is it wrong to hope that the plan is finally coming to fruition?