Former Orioles OF Nick Markakis Announces Retirement

After 15 seasons, Orioles great Nick Markakis is calling it a career

Early Friday morning, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reported that former Baltimore Orioles outfielder and current Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis was retiring from Major League Baseball. Connolly’s report detailed that Markakis had made up his mind on ending his playing career in the days following the Braves’ NLCS elimination at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers this past October.

Markakis was drafted seventh overall by the Orioles in the 2003 MLB Draft before debuting with the team on Opening Day of 2006 against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. From there, Markakis played in Baltimore for nine seasons, racking up 5,966 plate appearances in 1,365 games, before signing a four-year deal worth $44M with the Atlanta Braves in December of 2014.

Here are a few notable statistics and achievements that Markakis reached during his time in Baltimore:

• Nick Markakis recorded 1,547 hits in his Orioles career, which ranks as the eighth-most in franchise history.
• Nick Markakis won three Rawlings Gold Glove Awards in his career, two while playing for Baltimore. His 2014 award is the most recent one received by a player on the Orioles.
• Nick Markakis is one of just 12 players that has taken more than 5,950 plate appearances for the Baltimore Orioles in the Live-Ball Era.

"“I chased [the World Series] for 15 years. And I understand not everybody’s gonna get the opportunity to hold that trophy…That’s life. Life goes on. And I tried and I gave my best effort for 15 years. That’s all I can really do.”"

According to Connolly, Markakis plans to spend his retirement at his home in Georgia with his wife and three sons, falling into a “stay-at-home dad” role. It’s simple and under the radar, which is exactly how Markakis liked to play the game of baseball.

Someday in the future, the Orioles will almost surely add Nick Markakis to their franchise Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Cal Ripken Jr., Brooks Robinson, and Mike Mussina as some of the greatest players ever to don the orange and black.