Markakis speaks out

[TGO]

IMO Nick is likely speaking to Atkins, Tejada, Izturis, Patterson, and to a lesser degree bench guys like Lugo and Montanez. Wieters at least is seeing pitches. He's second to Nick on the team in P/PA. He's just not executing when he gets his pitch. The other guys are having bad team ABs more often than not. They're all below league average in P/PA and the guy who is closest to average is Atkins, the worst actual hitter of all of them. And except for Montanez they are all ML veterans who should know better. Of course, other than Atkins and Lugo they're all also ML veterans who have a history of hacking away.

[O-The-Memories]

My wife and I were discussing the Birds last night. If you take one of Jones, Wieters, Kakes, etc, and put them on the Yankees, they would be playing spectacular ball and would be meeting all expectations. However, like Huff Daddy said, when you have all of these guys on one team and no experienced core around them to lead them, that is when disaster strikes. MacPhail has set these young men up to fail, and in that, he is succeeding!

I pretty much agree with what you're saying. However...

Andy didn't set these guys up to fail, but he hasn't helped matters either. We need to get rid of the coaches that are supposed to be responsible for success/failure. Terry Crowley needs to go if he can't get blue chip prospects to hit. I know Nick supports him, but if guys aren't utilizing his hitting advice they either a) need to be benched or b) need to be sent down. I find it mind-boggling that a hitting coach has no power at all.

For hitting coaches, is it really like "well if my players listen to me that's great, but if they don't I can't do anything about it"?

Universal praise was given to Markakis, Jones, and MW. Now one of them stinks to high heaven at the plate, one is performing below expectations by a significant amount, and Markakis has lacked power numbers this year. Something is not right, and I refuse to believe that it's solely a lack of talent on our team.

[SombodysMom]

I think he's saying that these guys are refusing to make adjustments. Nick might have struggled early on, but he was listening to coaches and making an effort to do what the coaches were telling him. It sounds like these guys aren't doing that.

I don't think he was being unfair to call people out for not making adjustments (and editted my original post to clarify).

[Bradysburns]

Talk about totally missing the point.

I'll give you the cliff notes... The hitting coach can prepare you to hit.. but it's up to the hitter to execute the plan. Period.

Everyone is always looking for a fall guy to blame when things don't go well. Sometimes it's not as simple as just pointing the finger.. but to simply look in the mirror.

This is simply ridiculous on every level. Of course it's up to the coach to instruct the player, and for the player to carry that out. Nobody is arguing against that. But the point YOU are so clearly missing is that TC isn't giving hitters a "plan" at all... According to Nick (or at least my reading of what he said), TC has 110% NOTHING to do with hitters' approach at the plate. That's what I find disturbing. What's TC's excuse - "Not my job, dudes! Sorry!"

[PrivateO]

Good job, Nick.

I really hope that this isn't just a media thing, just to make us seem content that some of the guys are frustrated. I hope Markakis can shwo some leadership and actually call guys out on the team (not in the media, but on his own in the clubhouse) in the hopes that, maybe, just maybe, they can be a little more disciplined and planned when they step to the plate.

SG said it before, but maybe he's "teaching by example" by going up there and getting siingles and getting on-base so that the other guys will learn to ease up and not try and hit a home run every at-bat.

[soxhotcorner14]

This is simply ridiculous on every level. Of course it's up to the coach to instruct the player, and for the player to carry that out. Nobody is arguing against that. But the point YOU are so clearly missing is that TC isn't giving hitters a "plan" at all... According to Nick (or at least my reading of what he said), TC has 110% NOTHING to do with hitters' approach at the plate. That's what I find disturbing. What's TC's excuse - "Not my job, dudes! Sorry!"

You are missing the point Nick is making. What he saying is everyone needs to lay off TC. He's doing his job, the hitters are not. Plain and simple.

Why do you think he mentions that the players have to make adjustments on their own? I can tell my 12 year old son until I'm blue in the face to stop swinging at balls in the dirt. But it's up to him to make the adjustment and execute it. Same situation here with TC and his position players.

[jincargo]

Normally, I'm opposed to players venting frustration about teammates or the team in general to the media...but this was needed.

Good on Nick being the guy to deliver the message...I just hope he's doing the same thing behind closed clubhouse doors.

[Frobby]

I just want to point out something else Nick said yesterday:

"I think we had some situations that we were put in that we didn't execute, including myself in that last at-bat," Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis said. It's tough, especially with the situation that we're in. When you don't execute those plays in crucial times, it's magnified times 10. It's not like we're not out there trying. We're trying and just coming up short right now."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-giants-0617-20100616,0,1910836.story

I'm glad Nick owned up to his own lousy AB in a crucial situation.

On his other quotes, it seems to me he is criticizing mental approach, not effort. And I agree 100% with him. I think Samuel, or whoever the manager is, needs to be much more explicit with his team about what is expected of them when they go to the plate. For example, I get infuriated when our pitcher struggles through a long inning and then is back on the field in 5 minutes because the hitters swung at the first pitch they saw. There's a time to swing at a first pitch, but there's also a time to realize that the team really needs a patient inning, even more than usual, to give their own pitcher enough time to regroup. I think Samuel needs to start penalizing selfish play like that.

As to who Nick was referencing specifically, I doubt it was Wieters, even though he is struggling mightily. More likely it is the impatient veterans, and Jones.

One thing the FO really needs to do this winter is acquire some guys who have good approaches at the plate. As mediocre as Kevin Millar was, at least you always felt he was giving the pitcher a good battle. If we can't acquire superstars to fill every hole, at least let's acquire some guys who know how to draw walks, extend AB's and increase pitch counts.

By the way, this is an area where we really miss BRob.

[notfast]

Markakis: "You can have anybody come here and you still are going to have a couple of guys who are not going to change their approach and fix it. It’s worthless. You can point your fingers here and there, but it is what it is. You’re in the big leagues. You have to change your approach on your own. If you go up there clueless, you’re going to come back [to the dugout] clueless. It’s that simple."

Let the speculation begin on who he is talking about.

My guess..... Matt Wieters is one of those guys...

NO question in my mind thats directed at Wieters. Jones, IN MY OPINION, atleast looks like he tries to adjust, make changes, etc (except on that outside slider :laughlol:) whereas nothing has changed with Wieters approach.

[cindyluvsbrady]

I just want to point out something else Nick said yesterday:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-giants-0617-20100616,0,1910836.story

I'm glad Nick owned up to his own lousy AB in a crucial situation.

On his other quotes, it seems to me he is criticizing mental approach, not effort. And I agree 100% with him. I think Samuel, or whoever the manager is, needs to be much more explicit with his team about what is expected of them when they go to the plate. For example, I get infuriated when our pitcher struggles through a long inning and then is back on the field in 5 minutes because the hitters swung at the first pitch they saw. There's a time to swing at a first pitch, but there's also a time to realize that the team really needs a patient inning, even more than usual, to give their own pitcher enough time to regroup. I think Samuel needs to start penalizing selfish play like that.

As to who Nick was referencing specifically, I doubt it was Wieters, even though he is struggling mightily. More likely it is the impatient veterans, and Jones.

One thing the FO really needs to do this winter is acquire some guys who have good approaches at the plate. As mediocre as Kevin Millar was, at least you always felt he was giving the pitcher a good battle. If we can't acquire superstars to fill every hole, at least let's acquire some guys who know how to draw walks, extend AB's and increase pitch counts.

By the way, this is an area where we really miss BRob.

You are right:(

It is awful without My Perfect One!!:hearts::002_scry:

[Oriolelion]

I created a thread a few weeks back asking for this very thing -- for Markakis and/or Roberts to speak out and express their frustrations b/c I believe that vocal leadership from the best players is exactly what this team needs.

I commend Nick for saying the things that all of us know to be true. I'm hopeful that this will help to augment the approach of some of the younger guys going forward b/c their performance collectively is the key to righting the ship.

I do find it hilarious that some of the same posters who poo poo'd the significance of Markakis or Roberts publically expressing their frustrations in my thread are all of a sudden so supportive of it now. But I guess that's par for course.

[RShack]

Penalty flag on RShack: Too many quotes of the day doled out in one day!

You already designated the quote of the day in the wee hours of the morning. There can't be two so which is it going to be?

The first one was 34 minutes after midnight, my time... which was before I went to bed. You got me on a technicality ;-)

[LookitsPuck]

Good on Nick. I don't blame him one bit.

He's right, though. This team DOES need a guy with 40 home run power, but it does not NEED an entire lineup of home run hitters. It needs a lineup of guys that can get on base. If the team doesn't get on base, then it needs to be a lineup of home run hitters (or power hitters for that matter).

Ready for this?

In the AL, the Orioles are 2nd to last in OBP. Guess who is the worst?

The Toronto Blue Jays.

The Orioles have a collective OBP of 311. Just for reference, the bottom rung of teams:

White Sox: 322

Angels: 321

Mariners: 312

Orioles: 311

Blue Jays: 309

Their slugging percentages, though?

White Sox: 403

Angels: 411

Mariners: 346

Orioles: 365

Blue Jays: 453

Long story short, you can certainly have a team of guys that don't get on base, IF you have a team that can hit the cover off the ball (see: The Blue Jays). However, when you DON'T get on base (Orioles 2nd to last in AL) AND you DON'T hit the cover off the ball (Orioles 2nd to last in AL), then, yeah, we suck.

[Mackus]

NO question in my mind thats directed at Wieters. Jones, IN MY OPINION, atleast looks like he tries to adjust, make changes, etc (except on that outside slider :laughlol:) whereas nothing has changed with Wieters approach.

What about Wieters' approach needs to be changed?

He takes pitches, he goes the other way. The problem for him right now is his bat looks incredibly slow and he can't drive anything. I'm not sure how a different approach would fix that.

I don't think the mental approach is what is holding Wieters back right now. I think its just a complete lack of execution. He's not hitting anything with authority.

[Stotle]

What about Wieters' approach needs to be changed?

He takes pitches, he goes the other way. The problem for him right now is his bat looks incredibly slow and he can't drive anything. I'm not sure how a different approach would fix that.

I don't think the mental approach is what is holding Wieters back right now. I think its just a complete lack of execution. He's not hitting anything with authority.

This is what I see, as well. I think the bat speed may be slower, but more from a result of not attacking with confidence and letting it fly than because of any fundamental issue. He has shown good bat speed -- he'll get it back. If he can get back to accelerating the bat head through contact with his big, extended finish, the ball will be jumping again. I'm confident he'll figure it all out and make it work.

He also looks longer to me this year than last. Just clean-up that I'm sure will get done. Some of this may just be too much to completely fix in-season while continuing to learn the league and focus on managing the staff. Others would know better, but I'd love to see him spend significant time with an experienced hitter (a Manny, a Bonds, whoever) in the off-season and just work on the "art" of hitting. How to tackle a pitcher, little tricks of the "elite-level" trade.