On June 3rd of this year Nick Markakis was batting .239/.305/.616, Orioles fans were were really starting to get worried. I was actually beginning to wonder if we were going to have a kind of Rocco Baldelli situation I was genuinely concerned for Nick’s health.
Then June happened.
Right now, June 28th, Nick Markakis is batting .279/.329/.690.
Over the last 14 days Nick has been absolutely on fire; .420/.453/.973. With his hit in tonight’s first inning he has hit in 17 straight games tying a career high and tying for the longest hit-streak this year. He has not seen his extra-base hit power fully return as of yet, but you can tell it is coming around. He has shown more opposite field ability, his bat looks quicker and he just seems to be taking a much more confident approach at the plate. Bottom line, he looks like Nick again.
The power numbers are still woefully low, but he has twice as many homeruns now as he did this time last year so there is definitely signs of life there.
Many of us expected this to be the year that Nick finally makes the All Star team, that most certainly will not happen this year. But it is fantastic to see Nick Markakis look like himself again in the field and at the plate.
Speaking of the All Star Game, it continues to be complete bullcrap. I’m not complaining about Jeter begin in there he is a legend let him have it. I am upset over Russell Martin. Martin had an April that was simply the better than anything he had ever seen in his life. However, in the last month he has batted .147 with a simply un-holy .452 OPS. His year-long numbers now sit at .230/.734 with nine homeruns but only three of them hit since April 23. He is barely a top five catcher in the league. Mike Aviles, Matt Wieters, AJ Piersynski are all having better offensive years.
Defensively Martin is one of the WORST catchers in the AL, Wieters is of course the best defensive catcher in the league in virtually every category. Martin is only throwing out 29% of base stealers, for comparison Wieters is catching 42% of potential thieves.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that Wieters should be the guy, Mike Aviles is the guy in my mind. But it doesn’t matter The Yankees will have five players in the starting nine when only three probably really deserve it.
Same as it ever was.
