Another Greek player profile

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution profiles local boy Nick Markakis, who will be playing for Greek baseball team in the Olympics.

The 20-year-old played for Greece in last year's European Championships in the Netherlands. It was his first trip overseas. Markakis, the national junior college player of the year, was picked seventh in the amateur draft by the Baltimore Orioles, signed for $1.85 million, and now plays for the Class A Delmarva Shorebirds.

He nearly didn't get on the team because it was unclear what position he would play:

The [Greek] team wanted Markakis as a pitcher. The Orioles drafted him as an outfielder. During his final season at Young Harris College, Markakis went 12-0 with a 1.60 ERA, striking out 160 in 96 innings. The left-hander throws a fastball that reaches the mid-90s, a power slider and a change-up one major-league scout described as "plus, plus, plus."

The Cincinnati Reds drafted Markakis twice with plans to let him pitch, but they couldn't agree on a contract. The Orioles picked him in June 2003 as an outfielder, a decision that surprised many in the baseball community, including Markakis. It's not as if he can't hit. His current manager, Bien Figueroa of the Class A Delmarva Shorebirds, compares Markakis' swing with that of the Dodgers' Shawn Green. Markakis set a record at Young Harris College with 21 home runs and drove in 90, but only after being inserted in the lineup when the team's first baseman was injured.

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Because Markakis was forbidden to pitch, he no longer had a lock on making the Greek Olympic team, as there already was plenty of depth in the outfield.