The fact that you can label Markakis’ 2009 season disappointing, only illustrates how talented Nick Markakis is.
With 15 games remaining in the season, Markakis is batting .297, with 16 homers, 42 doubles, and 97 rbi.
Those are all solid-numbers, but a closer look reveals that Markakis did not meet expectations.
I had projected Markakis to have a .315 battting avg, with 28 homers, 100 rbi, .925 OPS, .425 on-base, .500 slugging, with 45 doubles.
In the last-days of 2009, Markakis has an OPS of .803. That is a huge-drop for a guy that had a .897 OPS in 2008.
In 2008, Markakis had an on-base% of .406, with a slugging% of .491.
In 2009, Markakis has an on-base% of .348, with a slugging% of .455.
To be fair to Markakis, he does have a 2nd-half OPS of .821, but even that is below expectations.
His 2009 season started with an MVP caliber April, followed by 2 and 1/2 months of mediocre-play. After the All-star break, Markakis again played like an All-star. Sadly, Markakis is going through his worst struggles of the year, here in September.
Fangraphs.com calculated his Ultimate Zone Rating as a -.5.5, after a 12.1 in 2008. Make of those numbers what you will, I think they are worthless.
Nick Markakis plays a superior RF, and any defensive statistic that says otherwise, has flaws as a unit of measurement.
That said, I can agree that I think his range to the RF line was better last-year for whatever reason.
Perhaps like his offense, it was just a lost year. If this is Markakis at his ‘bottom,’ the career totals for Markakis will be something to watch.
Here is what I believe about Markakis. He turns 26 in November, and has not yet reached his prime. If 2009 was a down-year, I think he is just as likely to out-produce 2010 expectations.
I think Markakis is capable of a batting-title at some-point in his career, and I also believe in his power. Anyone else remember that bomb at Chicago just after the All-star break?
If Markakis so chooses, he could adjust his batting-stroke to be similar to what Palmeiro did for so many years. Playing at Camden Yards, with the short-RF porch, Markakis should be a consistent 25 homer player at a minimum. If he sacrifices just a bit of average, he could easily hit 30+.
Markakis is going to end this season with over 700 career hits. There is an option for 2015, but Markakis is signed with the O’s through 2014.
At the end of the 2014 season, Markakis will be turning 31, and probably have 1,600+ career hits.
2010 is going to be a huge-season for Markakis. Does he rebound, and have a season that continues to lay the foundation for a potential HOF career, or does he have another year like 2009; and settle into being a very-solid (but not exceptional) Paul O’Neil caliber type?
I know where I stand on this topic, but Markakis is going to have to go prove it on the field starting next April.
Owner
Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.