Notice the title and that it’s not “In defense of Daniel Murphy’s defense”. One would be hardpressed to write a column carrying that title.
I suppose I am fonder of Murphy than most of you are and certainly more than the Twitter uses who light that place up any time Murph pulls a Murph on the bases or in the field. Yet for all the angst he can cause Murphy is probably the guy you most want at the plate when a single can drive in a key run.
My history with Murphy goes back to acquiring him for one of my Strat-O-Matic teams in March of 2011. And also Murph was the subject of a series of humor pieces I wrote (for a different blog) called Li’l Murph’s Diary.
So he is someone whose career I have followed closely. It is my belief that this is a player who has gotten the most from his “skill set” (remember that term?). This is to say that he was never destined to be a 20 homerun, 850 OPS type of player.
Truthfully he was never meant to be a major league secondbaseman. But, as we’ve seen repeatedly, the Mets have no qualms about putting defensively challenged players right in the center of their infield. And while Murphy has not made himself a good fielder he has gotten to the point where he is a somewhat tolerable one at 2B and a half-decent one at 3B. His best position is probably first but he lacks the necessary pop to ever be considered a team’s top choice for firstbase.
The odd thing about how baseball works is that once a player reaches arbitration and, more so, free agency the player’s salary often rises exponentially. Murph is currently playing on a one year deal and makes $8 million for this season.
It is not unreasonable to think that as a free agent some team will give him a three year contract for a total between $27 and $30 million. That team will in all likelihood not be the New York Mets. The cash strapped Amazins just do not figure to go that high for his package of high batting average, below average defense, questionable base running skills/judgment. And while my impression is that he is a very solid citizen and popular with his teammates those assets still will not get him a new deal in Flushing.
I will be most interested to see how the Murphy career unfolds from here. Will he make it through the trade deadline as a Met? At first I thought there was no chance of that but with the Wright injury (and to a lesser extent the one to Dilson Herrera) I am thinking that Murphy could remain a Met until October.
The Mets likely won’t offer him a contract at that point or if they do it will likely be one he would have to pass on, e.g. 2 years – $17 million.
Will his next team want him for second base? I doubt that. They could be looking for a thirdbaseman or a superutility role where he gets 400 at bats flitting from third to second to first with some DH at bats thrown in.
While you may not miss #28 when he’s gone, I certainly will.
As a hitter, Murphy is a bit above average (see his OPS+ numbers). As a fielder, he’s below average (see his dWars). And his “bonehead average” (i.e., what my eyes tell me), is way below average. Yes, he lacks the power to play at a corner.
And he does not hustle down the line to 1B most of the time. Even last night, he loafed down to first base in the ninth, and then had to run really hard to 2B when the ball dropped in. Give me Cuddyer for hustling, not Murph!
After a putrid start the to season, Murphy has been on fire the last 5 weeks, and low and behold, his season stats are now right in line with his career stats.
Is there a guy more consistent with the bat than Murphy?
OPS in the last 4 years: 735, 733, 734, 728
He’s also dramatically cut down his strikeouts this year (without sacrificing walks). From nearly 13.5% in the last 3 years to just 7.5% this year.
I like Murph. Problem is he’s not a fundamentally sound player, prone to mental mistakes. I think depending on the Wright situation, the Mets could offer him a decent contract and resign him since I don’t think there’ll be much of market. Otherwise, with all the middle infs they have in the pipeline, they’ll lowball him.
Larry, I read your article a number of times, digesting different bits each time. What I finally realized is that the article is a perfect expression of the situation with Daniel Murphy. He has a rabid fan base in NY that have gravitated to his (generally) gutsy play, consistent bat, and key contributions here and there. No one can miss the “Im with 28” slogan. i think he is genuinely grateful to be a big leaguer and has made the most of his time playing in NY. That said, he seems to be a player in disequilibrium. He has the bat that plays great as a second baseman, but unfortunately has never carried the defense (glove, arm, or instincts) to carry his high average bat. Its often said he is a natural third baseman, but my eyes have never seen that when he actually plays third. His arm is clearly not sufficient to make playing third realistic. He requires far to much time to set and throw, and coming across the diamond that luxury is non existent. In any case he doesnt have the pop to cover a corner infield spot. So that has left Murph in perpetual limbo. Perhaps his best suit is something along the line of a Ben Zobrist super-utility player? Ive heard various ex GMs that talk on MLB radio think of Murph as a 2-hole hitting DH…yikes. Again, disequilibrium.
If that were true, is someone going to lay out 10-12M/yr for 3 years for that? The Mets certainly wont. Rumor already persists that the Mets may be interested in Zobrist right now who seems to be defining the super-ut position nicely, while Murph seems stuck at second.
While all Mets fans have had plenty of reason to cheer for Murp over the years, and he has a rabid fan base, he seems to sit as a “tweener” at the major league level, and that does not bode well as free agency awaits him.
I agree whole heartedly. I believe murph is far more important to this team than most mets fans realize. His defense is adequate enough and and he’s calmed down on his base running blunders this year. However, his bat on a team thirsting for offense is where he thrives. With David’s back now a real problem i feel the Mets will need to bite the bullet and bring murph back next season. Look at the production they’ve gotten from third in wright’s absence! Nothing. And Dilson Herrera ,I’m afraid, may just be one of those injury proned guys. Twice called up and twice on DL. On top of that, he’s hardly shown a consistent Major league ready bat. The biggest deficiency on this team is offense, particularly clutch hitting…. Murph excels at both. On top of that he can fill in for David and his bad back and for young Dilson…. We need Murph! Bring him back!! Convince him he can be a super utility guy. Give him first dibs at the second base job until David goes down. Whatever. Just make sure he’s on this roster 2016 and beyond. Otherwise, we’re gonna regret it! Sign Murph.
Murphy’s a DH without the power.We tend to over value Our players. Would you want the Met’s to trade for Murphy if he was on an opposing team? You would say. “But where do we play him?” No team is going to pay 9 million dollars for a utility player. Matt Joyce he’s not. So if Murphy gives you 80 R.B.I.’s he gives back 20? 30? on defense. Who was it that said what’s the difference if you drive in 100 or save a hundred runs? Bad defense has a domino effect.
Larry you really do understand the Murphy situation and presented it well.
I can see Murphy with his consistent bat get an 8-10 M 3 year deal to play 3B-DH for a team. He would be a great fit in the American League. I don’t see the Mets resigning him.
I see him playing the remainder of the season with the Mets, especially with Wright’s health uncertainty and Herera’s inability to establish himself because of injuries.I expect him to also end up with his usual consistent 730ish OPS.
I’ve always been a fan of Murphy, and I love the way he hustles. Whatever the team has asked of him, he has done. He played first, third, second and even outfield. While his defense has never been strong, his hitting has been consistent. Next season, I think Herrera starts, and the team lets him run with it.
I love Murphy. Oddly, maybe he’s a trade target for the St. Louis Cardinals, who now need a first-baseman, and someone who can spell Carpenter at third. He’s a heck of a lot cheaper than Ryan Howard.