Braves’ Nick Markakis on a mission

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (TNS) — No moment was more a microcosm of the Atlanta Braves’ crumbling fortunes and front-office dysfunction in the third season of their rebuild than the night in late August when deposed closer Jim Johnson blew an eighth-inning lead and then-president of baseball operations John Hart dressed down manager Brian Snitker, shouting at him so loudly in the manager’s office that some players heard from the clubhouse.

And perhaps nothing better exemplifies Nick Markakis and what he stands for than the veteran right fielder’s reaction upon hearing what Hart said to Snitker, who appeared almost ashen and uncharacteristically sullen minutes later when reporters entered the office and really was never quite himself again the rest of the season.

Markakis made it known, had the message sent up the chain, that if Hart ever treated the manager that way again that Markakis would, in so many words, kick his hind end.

This is not something that you will get Markakis to talk about, because the stoic 13th-year big leaguer doesn’t ever call attention to himself or air out proverbial dirty laundry publicly and prefers to look ahead, not back. But multiple others with knowledge of the situation confirm the account.

Here’s all that Markakis said when asked Sunday in general terms about the way that Snitker was treated.

“In this game everybody needs to be treated like a human being, and sometimes some things are unfortunate, they happen,” he said. “But that’s all taken care of now. I understand the process and I understand what’s going on, but everybody is a human being here and everybody should be treated like a human being. Respect each other. And that starts from the top.

“We respect our manager, he respects us, and that’s about all I can say on that. But we love Snit. We’re going to try to win for him and the fans and the city, and we’re going to go out there and play hard every day.”

The Braves are in the fourth year of a rebuild that has seen them lose 90 or more games in three consecutive seasons, after losing as many as 90 games only once in the previous 24 seasons.

Markakis, 34, enters the final year of a four-year, $44 million contract. He came to camp fit, strong and of a positive mind. Through Sunday, he was 6-for-9 in five games this spring after going 1-for-3 with an RBI single Sunday against the Marlins.

“He’s on a mission, I can see it,” Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer said. “He’s on a freakin’ mission. He wants to get 200 hits. And the way I see him swinging, just the adjustments that he’s made this winter — his swing looks as good as I’ve ever seen it since I’ve been with him, right now. Which, this early in spring training, is amazing. And he could be 0-for right now and I’d say the same thing.”

The Braves are under new management. Hart and former general manager John Coppolella are gone, and new GM Alex Anthopoulos has been straightforward and honest in his dealings with players and Snitker and his coaching so far — something they all seem to appreciate.

“The vibe around everything has been pretty awesome,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “Everyone has kind of been in tune with each other. I think the communication not only between us players but everybody else has been very clear, so that kind of allows everyone to operate freely within that. … There’s obviously lots of reasons for that, and we’re thankful for that.”

Many thought Markakis, a former Orioles two-time Gold Glove winner, Woodstock High School graduate and ex-Young Harris College standout, would have been traded during this past offseason. But he’s still here, and teammates and coaches are thankful.

Markakis hit a modest .275 with just eight homers in 2017, but had 39 doubles and a .354 on-base percentage, only four points off his career mark. He doesn’t have the arm strength he once did, and his defense was just OK, solid if unspectacular.

But he has something else that doesn’t show up on paper — leadership, which can be an important factor for a team that hopes to take a significant step forward this year and will still be relying on several rookies or other young and relatively unproven players to contribute in a big way.

“He’s such a pro. Ultimate professional,” said Seitzer, who compared Markakis to legendary Royals third baseman George Brett when Seitzer was starting his playing career with Kansas City. “Reminds me a lot of George when I came up, just the way he carries himself and goes about his business. Just the way he plays the game. (Brett) wasn’t a big rah-rah guy but led by example.

“Alex Gordon, same way in Kansas City (when Seitzer was Royals hitting coach), same type of personality as Nicky’s. Very quiet, but takes care of business, very prepared. And you’d never know if he’s hitting .400 or .100.”