Yardbarker: Nick Markakis

Who is the Orioles' best current defensive outfielder?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:11:59 -0500

Adam Jones is now the 13th Oriole to receive an American League Gold Glove and the first since some pitcher named Mike in 1999. Jones deserves congratulations for the honor – just another impressive accolade for the Orioles’ 24-year-old center fielder. But I have to admit I am a bit surprised. Honestly, I thought Jones had a better year defensively in 2008 than he did this year. His penchant for playing a shallow center field caught up with him at times in 2009, probably ...

Blogging the Offseason: Baltimore Orioles

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:33:00 -0500

Blogging the Offseason is a 30 team series in which I ask a blogging representative from each MLB team a series of ten questions about their desires and thoughts surrounding the offseason. Check out all of them here.

Today's team is the Baltimore Orioles and our guest is Jeff from the Baltimore Sports Blog Right Off Russell.

1. Nick Markakis has been your best young player for the past few years but has seemingly flatlined in power and average in the past three seasons. Do you think Markakis is just a solid .300 20 HR hitter or do you think his power explodes next year?
In a lot of ways this was Markakis' most disappointing year. Each year he has seemed to improve, but in '09 he lacked consistency offensively. His power numbers were down, strikeouts up, walks down and he was just very streaky. Whether or not Markakis is every going to be more than he has shown the last three years is something I have discussed often. I have not come to a definitively conclusion, but my gut right now tells me that he will improve but never ascend to super star status. I do think that if the Orioles can surround Markakis with one or two more middle of the lineup bats, his numbers would be helped out greatly.

2. I'm sure as an Orioles fan you are looking forward to the day when Jeremy Guthrie is no longer your opening day starter / "ace" will one of the Youngsters step up and take de-seat Guthrie?
I do expect Guthrie to bounce back somewhat in 2010. Will he be the pitcher that he was in '07 and '08. Probably not, but he can be much better than he was in '09. He is not a top of the rotation guy, but I also do not think this is the year when a younger arm steps forward. The main candidates, besides Guthrie, to start opening day are Brian Matusz and Brad Bergersen> I don't think either are ready, not would the O's feel the need to rush them. Provided that Guthrie is healthy and the O's do not acquire a free agent starter, I believe Guthrie will get the call on to start the season.

3. Speaking of the youngsters, whom do you think has the most potential between Matusz, Bergesen, Tillman, and Hernandez?
Matusz is definitely the guy with the best combination of stuff and pitch making ability. I salivate watching Cliff Lee and Cole Hammels (last year anyway), because that is the type of pitcher I think Matusz can become. After that Bergesen has great command and know how, but not great stuff. Tillman needs to work on his location with his fastball, which does not explode the way I had hoped. Hernandez may be destined for a late inning relief role. He will get more looks as a starter, but I am not sure he is cut out for it.

4. There are a few closers on the market this offseason, do you think the Orioles try to sure up the bullpen or try to get it done within? Any chance Chris Ray can be good again?
Ray can be good again, but I am not sure he is a closer. If I were the Orioles I would not sign a closer. I would like to audition Ray, Jim Johnson, Kam Mickolio and maybe even Koji Uehara in the role and see if one of them can claim the job. I am a believer that you develop your arms from within and I think the Orioles can have the patience to do that since '10 is not a year they expect to be in playoff contention.

5. Who are a few logical free agents that you think the Orioles will target in the offseason?
I would love to see the Oriole go after Matt Holliday. He is still young enough that he can have an impact when the rest of the club is ready to contend and he is the middle of the order bat the team needs. Plus I just like him as a player and I have a friend who's brother played ball with him in high school, so there is obviously a tremendous bond there. Other than him, maybe Adrian Beltre would be worth a look and Chone Figgins since the O's are unsettled at the corner infield spots.

6. You taken Peter Angelos hostage and can now act like the Yankees and purchase three top tier free agents, whom do you grab?
I will stick with Holliday and add in John Lackey and Rich Harden. Lackey because he can be an ace and is a big game pitcher who gives you a lot of innings. Harden because I think he would be worth the upside risk despite his injury history.

7. Matt Wieters had a red hot September, what do you think are realistic expectations in 2010 for the uber prospect?
I would guess Wieters is capable of a .290-.300 average with 20+ hr's and around 80 rbi's. Some of those 3"s will depend on how much the Orioles try to get his bat in the lineup as a DH on the days he is not catching. I think Wieters can be a more patient hitter, make pitchers work more and draws more walks. Along with that he should be able to reduce his K's. Wieters also improved a great deal in his defensive ability and his game calling. That is often overlooked, but his impact in those areas should improve as well.

8. Which prospect who has yet to put on the Orioles uniform are most looking forward to seeing?
One guy I have see in the minors is Jake Arrieta. I like his stuff and make-up as a starter. I think he will get a look in Baltimore at some point in 2010. Also, I am itching to see Josh Bell (acquired in the George Sherrill trade with LA) play. I have spoken with Josh on one occasion and he is a really likeable guy who I am pulling for. Plus I want to see his power on display.

9. I'm giving you the option to cut players without any salary repercussions, which Orioles do you part way with?
The Orioles have cleared all of the bad contracts heading into this off-season. Melvin Mora is gone and so are Jamie Walker and Danys Baez. Other than that the O's do not have a lot of money tied up in bad long term deals. This is a big off-season for the club. They have money to spend, but can they attract the right free agents without overpaying too much?

10. Final Question, you've got a crystal ball, the Baltimore Orioles will make the playofs in ________.
2012? I hope. Next year the Orioles need to step up to around the .500 mark and not fade so badly at the end of the year. 2011 could be a year where they are involved in a pennant race, but it is too much to expect them to make up so much ground on Boston, New York and Tampa in just 2 years. So I think 2012 is the most realistic shot. A lot of things need to go right with player development and talent acquisition, but that is the year the Orioles need to build for.

Under Armour Event in Annapolis

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:43:00 -0500

On Saturday morning, fans that got up early enough got a chance to meet Oriole outfielder Nick Markakis, Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and the Marlins Jeremy Heremdia at the Under Armour store at the Annapols-Westfield Mall. The event in Annapolis was a meet-and-greet autograph session, plus to prove that video games and professional athletes indeed go hand-in-hand, both Zimmerman and Heremida participated in a video game Home Run Derby by playing MLB 2K8. Being that the city of An...

Orioles Smash The Tribe

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 12:38:00 -0500

After losing a heartbreaker on Thursday night, the Orioles regrouped and absolutely smashed the Cleveland Indians, 13-4. Big nights by Felix Pie (three RBI's, and a homer), Nick Markakis (three hits with a homer, with three runs driven in) and Matt Wieters (three hits, four RBI) helped propel the Orioles to their 53rd win.Jason Berken benefitted from the deluge of the Baltimore offense and earned his fourth win of the season. He went five innings, allowed two runs, walked three and struck...

Markakis Helps Orioles Stop Fenway Skid

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:48:21 -0500

Nick Markakis had a home run and 3 RBIs and rookie David Hernandez kept the hits to a minimum as the Baltimore Orioles went on to a 6-2 win over the Boston Red Sox in front of 37,606 on a nice summer Sunday afternoon for baseball at Fenway Park. The win for the Orioles (42-55) snaps [...]

Swept Away in NYC and the New Yankee Stadium

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:15:00 -0500

The Orioles so far have had a rough time of things on the road, and were swept by the New York Yankees in a three game series this week. Despite close games on Monday and Wednesday -- which included a hard fought comeback thanks to back-to-back homers by Adam Jones and Nick Markakis, they've flopped. Baltimore is 1-5 on the current road trip and they'll be heading into yet another tough place -- Boston -- this weekend. Once again, the pitching has been a problem -- with exception of D...

About Last Night, The O's Comeback Against the Evil Empire 1A, The Red Sox...

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:56:00 -0500

I was so busy this morning with car repairs and other stuff, that I didn't even get to the amazing comeback last night against the Red Sox. Pretty much we all know what happened, Nick Markakis had the go-ahead, two-RBI triple in the bottom of the eighth inning, the bullpen delivered, and Jonathan Papelbon blew his first save ever against Baltimore. We won in a crazy game, 11-10, which might as well have been two games in one with a rain delay, Boston taking what was an insurmountable lea...

Zimmerman, Markakis Not The Same Player

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:52:58 -0500

After saying he wouldn’t talk about a contract extension during the season word is the Washington Nationals and third basemen Ryan Zimmerman are closing in on a six year deal in the neighborhood of the $66.1 that Baltimore Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis got over the winter. My first knee jerk reaction was… what? Leave it to the [...]

Eaton Struggles; O's Offense Bails Him Out...

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:40:53 -0500

The Orioles won 10-6 today against the Cardinals in Jupiter; however, a recurring theme once again haunted Baltimore -- obviously, the pitching. Well, the offense bailed starting pitcher AdamEaton out as the Orioles scored twice in the fourth inning, and four times in the fifth. Adam Jones hit a long two run homer to start the rally; thereafter, in the fifth inning, Nick Markakis had a two-run double and then scored on a wild pitch. Aubrey Huff drove in a run in the fifth, Oscar Salazar drove...

The Josh Hamilton Extension

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 06:09:40 -0500

Josh Hamilton is a special player. We all know that by now. In his first full big league season as a starter, Hamilton wowed the Rangers and baseball fans all over the world by hitting .304 with 32 home runs and 130 RBIs. The sky seems to be the limit for the 27 year old Hamilton, as his power and consistency should only improve with time.So on that thought, the Rangers are wisely trying to sign Hamilton to a long term deal. Even though the Rangers control Hamilton's rights until 2012, hi...

Markakis and the Orioles Halt Extension Talks...

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:49:10 -0500

Take this for what is it worth right now... From the Baltimore Sun: Both club president Andy MacPhail and Markakis' agent, Jamie Murphy, confirmed that the sides exchanged proposals last week for the first time this offseason and that after several discussions, an agreement could not be reached. St... ...

The Contract for Markakis

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:36:37 -0500

In light of trying to get a general news round-up done for later today since things seem to be kind of slow at my desk right now. I don't know if I was so much surprised by reading this, but it did raise my eyebrows a bit... From the Baltimore Sun: Nick Markakis acknowledged that his agent, ...

NHL 94 Dictates An Indians Orioles Do-Over

Tue, 01 May 2007 14:52:15 -0500

The Umpires messed up the call and set a very bad precedent in the process. Plus, my experiences with NHL 94 on Sega Genesis dictate a do-over in real life.