Markakis on Manny and the All-Star vote

The way Nick Markakis explains it, he has a pretty good view to watch Manny Machado hit. He has watched other top hitters and had a good angle to see their swings from right field over the years. Now he bats behind Machado at times, where has a good view of the kid's work from the on-deck circle. "From right field I have a good view of a lot of right-handed hitter's swings," Markakis said. "I've always said Alex Rodriguez has one of the best swings, he and Manny Ramirez from what I see in right field, the flight of the ball and where they make contact. "(Machado's) not far behind them. He's got a great swing. He swings down through the ball, he gets great backspin and good extension. He's got a great swing for such a young guy. To be able to watch him from on deck and hit behind him, it's pretty cool to watch." Machado leads all of major league baseball with 97 hits and 31 doubles. On another topic, Markakis moved into third place among outfielders in the latest voting, released last night, for the American League All-Star team. He's never made the All-Star team, but now he might for the first time. "It's not on the top of my totem pole, but it would be a nice little honor," Markakis said. "It shows you what the fans think of you. There are some things in this game that you want to do and going to the All-Star Game one time would be cool. But the ultimate goal is the World Series and that is what we work for." Markakis said four days off in the middle of a long season with a chance to see his family would be high on his list too, but he'd certainly be excited to go to the game if voted in or selected as a reserve. Some players and coaches on the Orioles have felt Markakis sometimes flies too much under the radar. Maybe that is changing now with this vote. "That's a good thing," Markakis said. "It's just the way I am. I'm not much of an attention getter, just do my thing. I guess the fans are starting to appreciate it a little more but I just go about my business." Adam Jones is leading the voting in the outfield and Chris Davis and J.J. Hardy are leading as well, so four Orioles would get the start among the eight position players if the voting ended now. "That shows you what type of guys we have and what type of club we have. Every guy that is up there, deserves it," Markakis said.