- Thread starter
- #1
ThruTheEyesOfRuby
Well-Known Member
I don't think it's as cut-and-dried decision as some might think. I don't think he's going to ask for a contract that rivals that of his last one (especially this last year at $17 mil), but I'm wondering if he's willing to take the cliché 'hometown discount' to stay in Baltimore. He's not a prototypical leadoff man, as he's not a speed threat. But he does have some OBP ability. Looking at all the sabremetric stats, there is some good and some bad to having him lead off.
And, honestly, I can't fault him for doing what the team needs, when it's been asked of him. Does anyone else here remember when he was hitting 3rd in the lineup? It wasn't all that long ago. The team asked him to bat leadoff because, well, there really weren't any other options. Once it became apparent that Roberts wasn't returning, he'd already been put in the leadoff or 2nd slot on a fairly routine basis. There's something to be said for a player who will do what the team needs. I have to laud him for that.
Still.. he's getting paid 17 mill for his services this year. $17 million. That's some bigtime moola. Of course, at the time, there wasn't much hope for it getting much better. Gotta believe some of the feeling in the agreement in that contract was Angelos saying "Please, Nick, have some fans still coming to the park. We don't have anyone else! Please?"
Nick's been coming on in recent weeks (it was looking kinda shaky there early on).. and my stance has softened a bit. Don't get me wrong, I love a trooper who will stick with a team through thick-and-thin.. and that's what Markakis represents for me.
And the last thing I wanna see is him signing a contract with some team like the Yankees, be their #2 hitter, and kill us when crunch time comes around on some late July day when we're tied 5-5 in the bottom of the 11th.
What do you think?
And, honestly, I can't fault him for doing what the team needs, when it's been asked of him. Does anyone else here remember when he was hitting 3rd in the lineup? It wasn't all that long ago. The team asked him to bat leadoff because, well, there really weren't any other options. Once it became apparent that Roberts wasn't returning, he'd already been put in the leadoff or 2nd slot on a fairly routine basis. There's something to be said for a player who will do what the team needs. I have to laud him for that.
Still.. he's getting paid 17 mill for his services this year. $17 million. That's some bigtime moola. Of course, at the time, there wasn't much hope for it getting much better. Gotta believe some of the feeling in the agreement in that contract was Angelos saying "Please, Nick, have some fans still coming to the park. We don't have anyone else! Please?"
Nick's been coming on in recent weeks (it was looking kinda shaky there early on).. and my stance has softened a bit. Don't get me wrong, I love a trooper who will stick with a team through thick-and-thin.. and that's what Markakis represents for me.
And the last thing I wanna see is him signing a contract with some team like the Yankees, be their #2 hitter, and kill us when crunch time comes around on some late July day when we're tied 5-5 in the bottom of the 11th.
What do you think?