Markakis, Crowley honored to be inducted into O's HOF

This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BALTIMORE -- Nick Markakis was never a flashy player. He was reliable with consistently solid tools across the board, from his high-average bat to his Gold Glove-worthy skills in right field.

Markakis' personality matched his playstyle. He wasn’t loud or outspoken. For every day of his 15-year MLB career, Markakis showed up and put in his work in a quiet, stoic manner.

Markakis was rarely the center of attention -- like he was this weekend, when the 40-year-old was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame during a pregame ceremony on Saturday afternoon. All of the eyes in a large crowd at Camden Yards were fixated directly on him.

Is it making Markakis a bit uncomfortable?

“Can you tell?” Markakis deadpanned Friday afternoon, when he spoke to the media on the seventh floor of the warehouse.

It helps that it’s a homecoming for Markakis, who spent his first nine seasons in Baltimore (2006-14) before finishing out his big league career in Atlanta (2015-20).

“It’s here in Baltimore, and I’m very, very comfortable being here with the fans and everybody in this organization,” said Markakis, who also spoke at the O’s Hall of Fame Luncheon on Friday. “I’m enjoying it. It’s been an experience so far, and it’s been awesome.”

Markakis was one of three inductees in the Class of 2024, alongside former first baseman/designated hitter/hitting coach Terry Crowley and former scout Dick Bowie, the Herbert E. Armstrong Award winner who is being inducted posthumously. The Orioles Hall of Fame, which was created in 1977, is currently located inside the ballpark on Eutaw Street.

It’s only fitting that Markakis was inducted alongside Crowley, whose second stint as Baltimore’s hitting coach from 1999-2010 overlapped with the start of the outfielder’s career, as Markakis broke into the big leagues in ‘06.

“That’s what particularly made it gratifying for me to go in,” the 77-year-old Crowley said. “This guy was like a son to me.”

“It’s actually a perfect fit,” Markakis said, “and I’m happy and thrilled to be here to do it with him.”

Like many young players, Markakis struggled upon reaching the Majors. He broke camp with the O’s in 2006, then hit .182 with a .558 OPS over 22 games in April.

Crowley already knew Markakis was talented, remembering him as a 22-year-old standout on the Spring Training fields in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that year. But the initial slump proved to Crowley that Markakis was special.

Members of the Orioles were often frustrated by the wide strike zone when Markakis was at the plate, as he often took pitches off the dish that appeared to be balls but were called strikes. Yet, he never complained. He stayed focused on what he could control, which was his approach.

“Every day in batting practice, every day with extra hitting, I could see his talent,” Crowley said. “But when I saw that aspect of his makeup, I knew I had a doggone star on my hands. And I said, ‘Don’t let us mess this up. This is a great hitter.’”

Markakis won two of his three Gold Gloves while in Baltimore. However, he was never an All-Star or Silver Slugger during his O’s tenure, receiving each of those honors only once in his career (both in 2018, with the Braves).

But Markakis was a key part of the Orioles’ lineup. He hit .290 with a .793 OPS in 1,365 games for the club, ranking among the franchise leaders with 1,547 hits (eighth), 2,318 total bases (ninth) and 316 doubles (seventh).

“This game’s hard enough as it is. The more information you throw at somebody, the tougher it is. Crow would make it as simple as possible,” Markakis said. “When I started becoming successful, it’s not like I backed off the gas pedal. We were still in there on a daily basis, sometimes after games, just constantly working to get better.”

The No. 7 overall pick in the first round of the 2003 MLB Draft out of Young Harris (Ga.) College, Markakis joined the Baltimore organization at a time when the big league team was struggling. That continued early in his career, as the O’s missed the postseason for 14 straight seasons from 1998-2011.

Markakis helped lead the Orioles into the postseason twice -- as an American League Wild Card team in 2012, then as the AL East champions in ‘14. Markakis didn’t get to play in October in ‘12, due to a broken left thumb. He made his postseason debut in ‘14, appearing in all seven games as Baltimore swept Detroit in the AL Division Series and then got swept by Kansas City in the AL Championship Series.

“Obviously, earlier in my career, my first six years, was tough,” Markakis said. “But we knew it was only a matter of time. All good things come for those who wait, and we waited for a long time. And then, the good times started coming.”

In Markakis’ post-playing career, most of his time around baseball comes as a coach/mentor for his three sons -- Taylor (14), Tucker (13) and Toby (10). They live on a farm in Georgia, where Markakis also spends times with his dogs and his donkeys.

Markakis may be a native and resident of Georgia, but he has a special place in his heart for Baltimore, which showered him with cheers upon his induction into the O’s Hall of Fame.

“Loyalty -- I think that’s a big thing I learned coming to Baltimore. The fans, the city, how loyal everybody is,” Markakis said. “The commitment, determination and loyalty that the city shows to their sporting events here is above and beyond a lot of other places that I’ve been to.”