Former Orioles OF Nick Markakis retires from MLB after 15 seasons

Ex-Orioles OF Nick Markakis retires from MLB after 15 seasons originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Longtime Baltimore Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis is retiring from Major League Baseball, the 37-year-old told Dan Connolly of The Athletic on Friday.

“I just think it’s my time,” Markakis said to The Athletic. “My No. 1 decision and my main focus on this is obviously my kids and my family. I’ve been fortunate enough to do this for a very long time and not many people get to do what I’ve gone through. I’m thankful for every second and every minute.”

Markakis, who spent the last six seasons as a member of the Braves, made his decision to retire shortly after Atlanta was ousted by the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. However, the outfielder kept the decision to himself, per Connolly, and did receive interest in free agency.

A first-round pick by the Orioles in 2003, Markakis was initially viewed as a pitcher by some teams but Baltimore chose to keep him as an outfielder. The decision would be a smart one.

Markakis made his MLB debut for Baltimore in 2006 and served as the team’s primary right fielder for the next nine seasons. Along with fellow outfielder Adam Jones, Markakis quickly became a fan favorite among Orioles supporters for his pedal-to-the-metal style of play. 

After nine years with the Orioles, Markakis inked a four-year, $44 million deal with the Braves to return to his home state of Georgia. With the Braves, Markakis served as one of the leaders of the team and played an instrumental role in Atlanta’s last three division titles. His best season with the Braves came in 2018, where he was named an All-Star for the first – and only – time of his career.

Markakis walks away from baseball with a career slash line of .288/.357/.423 with 189 home runs, and 1046 RBIs.