Nick Markakis

Nicholas William "Nick" Markakis (/mɑːrˈkeɪkɪs/ mar-KAY-kis); (born November 17, 1983) is an American professional baseball right fielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Baltimore Orioles from 2006 to 2014. Markakis is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner.

Early life

Markakis was born in Glen Cove, New York, but moved to Woodstock, Georgia when his family, which includes his parents, Dennis and Mary Lou and his brothers Dennis, Greg and Michael relocated. He is of Greek and German descent.

College/Olympic career

Markakis was originally drafted in 2001 by the Cincinnati Reds, from Woodstock High School in Woodstock, Georgia but did not sign. Markakis instead attended Young Harris College, where he played college baseball for the Young Harris Mountain Lions baseball team. The Reds drafted him again in 2002, but he returned to Young Harris. Markakis played as both an outfielder and a pitcher, hitting .439 with 21 home runs and 92 RBIs, while also gathering a 12–0 win–loss record as a pitcher with 1 save and a 1.68 earned run average in 15 games. He was twice named Georgia Junior College Player of the Year and was awarded Baseball America's 2002 National JUCO Player of the Year.