Nick Markakis was looking like one of the best young players in baseball after the 2008 season, hitting 306/406/491 and racking up 6.3 WAR. He could do it all – hit for average, power, and play outstanding defence. The O’s wisely locked him up to a long term deal, paying him 66 million for 6 seasons. Markakis looked like a cornerstone outfielder, capable of leading the Orioles to their first successful season in years.
But over the next few years, Markakis never seemed to live up to his potential. His OPS dropped in consecutive years, dropping from the 897 OPS in 08 to 801, 805 and finally 756. It’s a shocking transformation, and I wanted to look into why Markakis is no longer the dominant player he was a few years ago.
The first thing that jumps out at you is the drop in power. For two straight seasons (07-08) Nick Markakis managed to post a 185 ISO. He was never an elite power hitter, but he was plenty dangerous as he hit 40+ doubles and 20+ HRs. So the most obvi...
Original Story:
