Nick Markakis
(Curtis Compton / curtis.compton@ajc.com)

Nick Markakis Announces Retirement After 15 Year Career

Longtime right fielder Nick Markakis made the decision earlier today to hang up the cleats for good. The 37-year-old enjoyed a long and solid career holding the right field position for the Baltimore Orioles and the Atlanta Braves. He was known as a model of consistency whether it was at the plate or on the field. He was a contact hitter and had an electric arm known for throwing out runners with efficiency. Markakis is arguably one of the most underrated baseball players to play in the last 15 years.

On paper, the statistics back up his consistency. He holds a career .288 batting average with 189 home runs and 2,388 hits. Markakis also took home three gold glove awards as well as appearing in the 2018 all-star game. He had more power when he first came up hitting as many as 23 home runs in 2007. Although his power numbers dipped, he was great at driving in runs reaching over 100 runs batted in twice in his career. He also holds the Major League record for most consecutive games played without an error with 398. Talk about consistency.

Dustin Pedroia Retires – Red Sox Legend is Done in the MLB

“I tell myself all the time, whether it is now or if I was fortunate enough to get that opportunity to be a Hall of Famer — to get that many hits — that 3,000 hits or 2,400 hits, it’s not going to define the player that I was. I think I played the right way and that’s all that really matters to me.” -Nick Markakis

His plan now is to focus on his family and be a stay-at-home dad. He initially made up his mind directly after the 2020 postseason only disclosing it to close friends and family. Markakis knew his time was coming and chose not to pursue any offers during the 2020 offseason.

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