Nick Markakis talks Orioles, Alonso, WBC

SARASOTA—For the second straight year, longtime Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis has served as a guest instructor. Markakis, who played nine seasons with the Orioles, had the seventh-most hits in team history, 1,547. He spoke to the local media on Saturday morning. Here are excerpts:

Question: How does the team look to you?

Nick Markakis: “They’re using spring training [for] what it’s supposed to be. I think the biggest thing for them and any ballclub is staying healthy. The guys seem like they’re on a good path, getting their bodies ready for the season. It’s a long season. The biggest thing is staying healthy and being able to be out there every day.

“These guys have a lot more experience. They’re learning what they can and can’t do. It’s all a process. It’s a learning experience, and these guys are still fairly young. With the overhaul, everything’s been great, everything’s been positive, the guys have been good. It’s good to be back.”

Q: You played on winning teams with strong personalities who were cohesive. Can this group achieve that cohesiveness?

Markakis: “The guys all seem to get along. You’re here together as teammates more than your family. Having a good clubhouse, guys getting along, that’s part of piecing a team together … those guys upstairs doing their homework on players and bringing in the right guys. It seems that they don’t have one bit of an issue here.

“Everybody seems great, guys have all been great. They want to learn and get better … Health is the number one issue for every team, trying to get through the course of a season. If they can stay healthy, they can do good things over here.’

Q: What can a player like Pete Alonso do for a team?

Markakis: “I had the privilege of playing against Pete towards the end of my career. What Pete brings as an individual and as a teammate, it’s hard to bring in guys like that. To have that capability and to bring that guy over here, it definitely helps out the team in the long run, and aside of his on-field stuff, what he’s capable of doing, just from playing against him and talking to him in here, he’s got his head on his shoulders.

“He knows what he wants. He knows what he’s going to bring to the team. It’s definitely a positive to have a bat like that, a guy like that in the clubhouse.”

Q: What’s your reaction to seeing Chris Davis elected to the Orioles’ Hall of Fame?

Markakis: “He’s definitely deserving. His numbers speak for themselves, what he’s done for the organization and himself as a player. He just didn’t get in by walking through the door.

“He put his time in, and he put some really good numbers up in several years. It’s good to see him get in and happy for him.”

Q: Can a team improve after an injury-marred season?

Markakis: “You learn from it. You learn from your injuries. Maybe some things you can do different, alter some things. Coming into spring training, that was my number one thing every year, was to stay healthy in camp. You can’t really help your team when you’re hurt, and on the sidelines. You learn from it, what did I do last year that maybe I can switch up this year?

“It’s important to get your outfield work on the fields and stuff, the inside stuff, stretching and in the training room, getting your body ready. It’s super important to stay healthy. It’s a learning process. You’re not going to learn everything in a couple of seasons. I played 15 years, and I was learning stuff in my very last year. Some things you have to try to figure out and stay on the field every way you can.”

Q: You played for Greece in the 2004 Olympics. Have you been watching the World Baseball Classic?

Markakis: “It’s awesome. Besides making my big league debut, playing in the Olympics was one of my more exciting times in baseball. You’re around some of the best players in the whole world.

“It seems like each team has more competition this year. Every team out there is really, really good. It’s good to see the players partaking in it, representing their country. It’s been fun to watch. I’ve been watching a good bit of it.

“It’s great for baseball. It’s great for the guys, and it’s good to see the passion that all these players have.”

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com