Who will hit .290+ this season?

[Old#5fan]

I am not arguing that at all, but I am bringing up your delusional opinion of Markakis again.

I mean do we really need to go over how you are judging Markakis in a completely arbitrary fashion that has no basis in reality whatsoever again?

I mean, I don't get what makes Markakis an overrated bum and Wieters the "greatest Oriole of all time" in your mind.

It must be a strange place.

I have never called Markakis a "bum" just overated here on the OH. He is a very good but not great hitter. Huff right now is the best hitter on the team with Wieters waiting in the wings.

[DrungoHazewood]

If he hits second all year I think he does. If third, I don't.

If he hits 8th he'll hit .440. But with only three homers and 11 sac hits. Matt Wieters can't bunt at all.

[Old#5fan]

If he hits 8th he'll hit .440. But with only three homers and 11 sac hits. Matt Wieters can't bunt at all.

Why would anyone in their right mind want Wieters to bunt anyway?

[whatdoiget000]

Huff right now is the best hitter on the team

lol wut?

[SilentJames]

If he hits second all year I think he does. If third, I don't.

Really? REALLY?

I mean really?

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/bsplit.cgi?n1=markani01&year=2008

last year between 2nd and 3rd he batted .345 and .271

Now you honestly think, HONESTLY, if he is batting third all year that he won't crack .290? Even though he has not batted below 290 YET in his three major league seasons and has only batted below 290 once in his professional career. .283 when he was 19 in Aberdeen.

I guess by your logic if he batted second then he would/ should be an all-star/batting champ guy?

You honestly think that Nick Markakis will not bat 290?

Did he punch your dog or something? Did he personally do something to you?

[whatdoiget000]

IMO, Markakis should hit second or even leadoff, not because of some inability to hit third, but because of his huge OBP. He's not going to make as many outs as anyone else on the team would in that spot.

[Old#5fan]

Really? REALLY?

I mean really?

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/bsplit.cgi?n1=markani01&year=2008

last year between 2nd and 3rd he batted .345 and .271

Now you honestly think, HONESTLY, if he is batting third all year that he won't crack .290? Even though he has not batted below 290 YET in his three major league seasons and has only batted below 290 once in his professional career. .283 when he was 19 in Aberdeen.

I guess by your logic if he batted second then he would/ should be an all-star/batting champ guy?

You honestly think that Nick Markakis will not bat 290?

Did he punch your dog or something? Did he personally do something to you?

Frankly, I don't care if he bats 289 or 299. To me the benchmark of a truly great hitter is always going to be 300 or better consistently. Again, I think the benchmark of 290 was set because Markakis is not a 300 hitter which again, only supports my view on him that while very good, he is not a great hitter period. I think the poll should have set the bar higher at 300 and only Huff is a real threat to do that until Wieters arrives.

Also, the reason Markakis is a better two hitter than three is he is not able to handle the pressure of being the best hitter on his team, which historically is always the three hitter.

[SilentJames]

I have never called Markakis a "bum" just overated here on the OH. He is a very good but not great hitter. Huff right now is the best hitter on the team with Wieters waiting in the wings.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/markani01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/huffau01.shtml

You realize that their stats are virtually IDENTICAL?

So you are saying that Huff is the best hitter on the team Wieters is second

Okay so

1) Huff

2) Wieters

3)?

Where does Markakis fall on this list?

[SilentJames]

Frankly, I don't care if he bats 289 or 299. To me the benchmark of a truly great hitter is always going to be 300 or better consistently. Again, I think the benchmark of 290 was set because Markakis is not a 300 hitter which again, only supports my view on him that while very good, he is not a great hitter period.

HE HAS BATTED 300+ 2 of his three years here!

He has batted over 300 or over in five of his eight years of professional ball. And in two of the three years he didn't hit 300 he batted 291 and 299!

Markakis DOES bat 300+ consistently to deny that is to deny math.

http://minors.baseball-reference.com/players.cgi?pid=8903

http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/markani01.shtml

[Old#5fan]

IMO, Markakis should hit second or even leadoff, not because of some inability to hit third, but because of his huge OBP. He's not going to make as many outs as anyone else on the team would in that spot.

Actually, I agree with you on this. He also lacks the HR power of a true three hitter like, say Frank Robinson or YAZ.

[Lt Melmo]

Frankly, I don't care if he bats 289 or 299. To me the benchmark of a truly great hitter is always going to be 300 or better consistently. Again, I think the benchmark of 290 was set because Markakis is not a 300 hitter which again, only supports my view on him that while very good, he is not a great hitter period. I think the poll should have set the bar higher at 300 and only Huff is a real threat to do that until Wieters arrives.

Also, the reason Markakis is a better two hitter than three is he is not able to handle the pressure of being the best hitter on his team, which historically is always the three hitter.

Er. How exactly did he hit .300 the past two seasons, then?

[Old#5fan]

http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/markani01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/huffau01.shtml

You realize that their stats are virtually IDENTICAL?

So you are saying that Huff is the best hitter on the team Wieters is second

Okay so

1) Huff

2) Wieters

3)?

Where does Markakis fall on this list?

Huff is a better hitter because not only does he drive in more runs, he also hits more home runs.

[Old#5fan]

Er. How exactly did he hit .300 the past two seasons, then?

In the three spot he is not a 300 hitter. He probably is going to be close to that in the two spot though. Some of you apparently don't know enough about the spots in the lineup to realize that the two hitter gets better pitches to hit than the three hitter, because they don't want to put him on base for the big boys that usually follow on most teams. It is basic Major League Baseball 101.

[HoodGuy007]

I have never called Markakis a "bum" just overated here on the OH. He is a very good but not great hitter. Huff right now is the best hitter on the team with Wieters waiting in the wings.

So when you say he is a very good but not great hitter, do you mean he is not the absolute best player in baseball?

Last year, Nick was 10th in the league in BA, third in OBP, seventh in OPS, second in walks, and I can continue on.

How can anybody in his right mind not think that Nick Markakis is among the very best hitters in baseball? His power is emerging and he has yet to hit his prime. He hit the second most doubles in the AL last year, and doubles are a strong indicator on how well a hitter will do with extended power the following year.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/markani01.shtml

Oldfan, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

[GotNitro]

Frankly, I don't care if he bats 289 or 299. To me the benchmark of a truly great hitter is always going to be 300 or better consistently. Again, I think the benchmark of 290 was set because Markakis is not a 300 hitter which again, only supports my view on him that while very good, he is not a great hitter period. I think the poll should have set the bar higher at 300 and only Huff is a real threat to do that until Wieters arrives.

Also, the reason Markakis is a better two hitter than three is he is not able to handle the pressure of being the best hitter on his team, which historically is always the three hitter.

Are you seriously saying I set the number for this poll at .290 so that Markakis could get votes? I actually set it at .290 because only Markakis and Roberts will likely exceed .300 this season. And using .300 as an exact benchmark is not really a good thing to do. If someone hits .298 during a full season and someone else hits .300 in the same full season, is it really fair to say that the one hitter had a good year average-wise and the other didn't?