Nick Markakis had a smashing beginning to his MLB career.  The first time he put on his Baltimore Orioles jersey, he hit a 400-foot home run.  Later in the season, he hit three homers in a single game.  Only 233 American League players have done that.  Only 18 of them have been Baltimore Orioles players.  Markakis was the first Oriole to hit that milestone since 1999.  He ended his rookie season with a .291 batting average, setting a record for Baltimore Orioles rookies with a minimum of 502 plate appearances.

Markakis suffered no sophomore slump.  He turned in excellent performances at the plate and in the field.  Of all the guys in a Baltimore Orioles jersey, Markakis’ .300 batting average was tops.  He also put up 23 home runs, 112 RBI’s and 191 hits.  In the outfield, he posted only two errors in 318 chances.  His 13 assists put him in fifth place in American League rankings for outfielders.  Baltimore sports writers selected Markakis as the Most Valuable Oriole that year.

His performance in 2008 continued to improve because of his improved performance in selecting pitches.  Once he learned to let bad pitches pass, he walked 99 times, up from 66 times the previous season.  Walking, as opposed to swinging at bad pitches, put him on base more often and he increased his on-base percentage to .406.  He had an OBP of .362 in 2007.  And waiting for a good pitch meant that he hit more pitches that he swung at.  So his batting average, which was a very respectable .300 in 2007, improved to .306 in 2008, a career high.

Markakis’ performance at the plate justified the Baltimore Orioles’ previous decision about his future.  Markakis had pitched in college as well as playing outfield.  When the Orioles signed him in 2003 as their first-round draft pick, they were betting on his power at the plate.

In addition to being a top Major League performer, Markakis is also an Olympian.  He played baseball for his ancestral homeland, Greece, in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Markakis wears Baltimore Orioles jersey number 21, bats and throws left handed and plays right field.