Honestly, I wish the O's broadcasters would quit mentioning Markakis being the hardest hitter to strike out in baseball this year. He's just swinging more, and I don't really think it's making him a better hitter. He's 35% below his career K rate, yes, but he's also over 20% below his career walk rate. I don't think that's a net positive - the marginal cost of a K vs. a contact out is fairly small, but the marginal value of a walk vs. a ball in play for anybody not named Ruth or Bonds is fairly substantial.
As far as Machado goes, his walk rate isn't high, but he doesn't have a high swing rate on balls out of the strike zone. He's an aggressive hitter, but he isn't swinging at bad pitches. I would love him to draw more walks - I was the guy that initially brought the subject up. But I will say, in his defense, that he is being aggressive within the strike zone. Does he swing at more close pitches on 2-1 and 3-1 counts than I would prefer, when he still has a strike to play with and might be able to get a better pitch or even draw a walk? Absolutely. But it's not the same as Jones, who consistently gets himself out on balls out of the strike zone.