“The kid can hit, and he’s learned to play solid defense.”
—Braves manager Bobby Cox

“All he wants to do is play and win. You could tell from the first time you saw him that he played with a lot of passion and desire.”
—Cox

“He plays the game crazy.”
—Former teammate Rafael Furcal

“There’s something about the guy, about his work ethic, his determination, his grit, that you want to bet on.”
—Former Braves GM John Schuerholz

“He’s a guy who takes more pride in his defense than his offense. He knows he’s going to hit, so he goes out and spends a majority of his time on his defense. You have to respect that.”
—Former teammate Chipper Jones

“He’s not a no-field, all-hit second baseman, which is the label he was given. You still have all the guts and grit, but there’s a little bit of smoothness to go along with that.”
—Braves broadcaster Don Sutton

“He has a lot of confidence going for him. He’s secure in his job.”
—Former teammate Gary Sheffield

“We’re very close and it’s been great to see Marcus have the kind of success he’s had. It doesn’t surprise me because Marcus can flat-out play.”
—Marcus’s brother, Brian

“He’s worked very hard, and he probably has more talent than I do. When you put that together with his work ethic, you really have something.”
—Brian

“I’m extremely proud. He’s making a name for himself.”
—Brian

“Neither Brian nor Marcus was really the type of player scouts looked for. They didn’t have great size. They didn’t have great speed. They didn’t have great power. Even though they were both outstanding hitters, neither of them was what could be described as a tools player. They had to work very hard to get recognized.”
—Marcus’s father, Bill

“He’s got a great work ethic. He’s a throwback. He’s had to work hard because scouts said he wouldn’t get out of A ball.”
—Braves coach Glenn Hubbard

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