Many Baltimore fans were in shock when Nick Markakis decided to take his talents to Atlanta. He spent the first nine years of his career in Baltimore and while it seemed that he would be a lock to re-sign, the Gold Glover chose to play where he grew up.
It didn’t help that Nelson Cruz left the next day, which meant the team was down two key components from the 2014 squad that made it to the ALCS. The front office also chose not to make any big moves to solidify the outfield and just recently traded for Travis Snider.
Some fans may be angered by this and think that Dan Duquette and company don’t know what they’re doing, but Markakis’ production can definitely be matched.
Yes, he was a fixture on the Orioles for so long and had great production, but injuries have contributed to the right fielder’s decline. These injuries were at least part of the reason the Orioles didn’t give him the type of money he wanted and it seems the team believes that a combination of several players could combine to make up for what they lose without Nick.
Markakis’ offensive numbers were down last season, as he batted .276 with 14 HR and 50 RBI. He tailed off as the year went on and he finished with an offensive WAR of 1.94, according to ESPN.com. Now taking a look at his replacements, Steve Pearce had a 3.97 offensive WAR, Snider had a 1.76 offensive WAR and David Lough finished with a 0.45 offensive WAR, according to ESPN.com.
Something else to consider are the splits and how Markakis batted .280 against lefties last season. Snider hit a whopping .381 against lefties and Pearce was right behind him at .327. Both players are also around Markakis’ .274 average against righties, with Pearce at .279 and Snider at .246. Let’s also not forget to mention that Pearce hit more home runs than Markakis and Snider was only one home run shy of him.
Lough is the only player that can’t match Markakis’ hitting value from last season, but he started to come around at the plate later in the year. The former Royal didn’t get consistent starting opportunities and should benefit from more time in the lineup. He also has the best speed on the team and will be a good situational runner off the bench when he’s not starting.
Another thing to consider is that Buck Showalter can be more flexible with his lineup and install Alejandro De Aza as his leadoff hitter. Markakis wasn’t the prototypical leadoff hitter, as he lacked speed. Showalter can now experiment with the speedy De Aza at the top of the lineup and follow up with a healthy Manny Machado right behind him. The combination of De Aza’s speed and Machado’s bat could produce more runs than when Markakis led off for the team.
But of course, you can’t ignore the fact that Markakis has been amazing in the field for the Orioles and has won two Gold Gloves.
So how do the Birds replace his defensive production?
According to Baseball-Reference.com, Markakis had 11 outfield assists in 147 games. However, Pearce and Snider combined for 13 outfield assists in 136 games. The site also showed that Lough had four assists in left field in 85 games.
There’s no denying how well Markakis played in right field. These three guys may not be as flashy, but can still get the job done.
It’s sad to see a player go who was loved by so many of the fans.
But it looks to be a smart business move for Baltimore.
Markakis needs to recover from neck surgery during the offseason and it’s safe to say that injuries and father time won’t help reverse his decline.
Once fans get past the fact that their fan-favorite is gone, they can see that his value is definitely replaceable by three more economically priced players.
