Monday’s matchup, between a pair of AL East hitters, is the first of this spring’s RealGM MLB ‘Be a GM’ contest. Both players were high draft picks. The Marlins drafted Adrian Gonzalez with the first pick of 2000 draft, while the Orioles nabbed Nick Markakis with the seventh overall pick three years later. Why Markakis is a Franchise Player Nick Markakis may not be a household name, but he’s certainly worthy of a place in this bracket. Entering his sixth major league season, the outfielder is a .297 career hitter with an OPS of .830 in 787 games. He had a career-high 5.5 WAR in 2008, which was better than all but six players in the American League. The right fielder, who throws and hits lefty, has also been very reliable in Baltimore. He’s never played fewer than 147 games in a season. According to baseball-reference.com, Markakis compares similarly to hitters like Dave Winfield, John Olerud, Johnny Damon and Carl Yastrzemski through age 26. Why Gonzalez is a Franchise Player Gonzalez doesn’t hit for as high of an average of Markakis (.285 over eight seasons), but he’s a greater run producer. He has averaged 35 home runs over the last five seasons, including a career-high 46 as a member of the Padres in 2007. That season, he finished 20th in the NL MVP voting. The first baseman walked with regularity in San Diego and figures to be on base even more often in Boston. His OPS has been at or higher than .850 in each of the last five seasons and he was on base about 40% of the time in both 2009 and 2010. He finished fourth in WAR among NL players in each of the last two seasons and has earned at least four MVP votes even year since 2007. He’s also sure-handed on the field. Click here to see this year's 'Be A GM' bracket.