Don Knotts as Barney Fife, George Wendt as Norm Peterson, Jon Hamm as Don Draper. On TV and in the movies we have seen hundreds of occasions where the role was perfect for the actor and the actor was equally perfect for the role.
In baseball there are roles too. We call them positions and it is the task of each franchise to put each player in his ideal position.
Ironically in this, which likely is Daniel Murphy’s last season as a New York Met, the team has finally given him the job for which his skill set best qualifies him.
Murphy’s primary position in the minors was third base. He played 201 games in the minors there while only playing 21 at first, 19 at second, and just four in left field.
We all know the obvious problem with being a third baseman in the Mets organization circa 2007 and 2008. Right and Wright. This was David Wright’s position and there was no way that a solid singles/doubles hitter like Daniel Murphy was going to uproot the future captain.
So they tried him at other positions. The outfield was a disaster and that idea was abandoned pleasing fans and player alike. Murph showed competence at first but lacked the power that one requires at that position. Besides those were the days when Ike Davis and Lucas Duda were vying for the position. Murphy did not have a real chance to succeed there.
So by default he was made into a second baseman and as the joke goes “for a second baseman he was a pretty good batter.” No one faults his work ethic but at his best he has become a (barely) passable excuse for a second baseman. He is range challenged and there is just no getting past that.
Fast forward to the year 2015 and a bit further to the point when the Mets have reasonable options at third base with Juan Uribe being the best glove. Kelly Johnson could even play the position if necessary. And if rehab continues to go well we might even have a David Wright sighting within the next two weeks.
At second base there are options like Wilmer Flores and Kelly Johnson. Next year one could hope that young Dilson Herrera will lay claim to the job.
First base has been Lucas Duda’s mostly until his back became ouchy. Michael Cuddyer can somewhat handle first also.
Murphy has, after a terrible first few weeks, hit well enough to again be a most dependable hitter. He has been less proficient against lefties than he has been in recent years. He can still slap those singles to left against the southpaws but just has been doing so less frequently.
The role Murph now has is as a regular versus right hand pitching but sliding between his three prime positions. What you have is versatility and a solid stick. Let’s call it Ben Zobrist-lite. More skilled than Murphy defensively Zobrist can play a competent outfield and shortstop. As a second baseman he has far more range than Murphy so Zobrist can be said to be a true super-utility player. Murphy can not be described as such and if there is a term for what exactly he is now this writer is not familiar with it.
This role seems absolutely perfect for Murphy. Not having to go up against the tougher lefties in the league can only help his numbers. This is the right spot at the right time.
One has to wonder when he hits the free agent market whether other teams will see him the same way. Or will they pigeonhole him to one position and which one would it be? American League teams could likely give him one or two dozen games a year at DH.
Let us hope that Wright gets healthy and that all the other guys who play the infield stay healthy. This would allow manager Collins to continue to use Daniel Murphy in the role he was made for.
I like Murph. His best position, according to Murphy, is “batting third”.
I am glad that after all these poor teams he has played on that he finally has a season with a winner in a pennant race. Flores and Herrera are waiting in the wings and Kelly Johnson is the cheaper alternative in 2016. Let’s enjoy Murphy and 2015. We all deserve that!
What he said.
My pal, Mike, has always maintained that Murphy’s true value would come out on a winning team. I think we are seeing that now.
I like Murph but I don’t think the Wilpons will bring him back… I think they will go with Kelly Johnson… I hate to loose Murph’s bat tho….
Great write-up, as Murphy is best used all over the diamond. I fear next year he might not be leaving New York, as he could go to the…*gulp*…Yankees.
He’d kill in Yankee Stadium. Yanks should be in on the Utley sweepstakes. He’s killing it since 8/1. I guess he had an ankle problem which has improved. Murph will show how valuable he is in the post season. Guys with little power, e.g. Pence, Sandoval, Matt Carpenter, Kolten Wong, get pumped up as the adrenaline flows at that time of year, and the best players under such pressure situations are the ones who don’t K. I expect Murph to be outstanding this post season. Facing guys like Martinez, Wacha, Lester, Kershaw, etc., the guys that K a lot will be dominated.
Completely agreed. He very well may join that extremely long list of former Mets in pin stripes. I would hate to lose him. For all the moaning the fans do on a daily basis about his defense, he is a constant professional that this team benefits from.
The organization is foolish if they don’t re-sign Daniel Murphy. Ok, he’s not a gold glover but he can play three positions and he has pretty good hands at third base.
However, it’s his bat that they can’t live without. There’s no left handed batter on the club team who can hit lefthanders as well as righthanders, goes to all fields, and works the opposing pitcher even when not hitting safely. There’s NO Met, not even Cespedes, that opposing managers want less to see at the plate with runners in scoring position. Murph’s at bats are probably the ones I look forward to the most. If he signs with the Yanks and they tell him to pull more, he’ll hit 25 HR’s with that short porch in the Bronx. If he goes to the Dodgers and Mattingly is his manager, he’ll hit over .300 and then we’ll have to watch 2 ex-Mets (with Justin Turner) excel with another club.
He’s a rarity in that we know he can hit in a Mets uniform and has proved it over a number of years. Every time the team’s best hitter left over the last 5 decades, the team went downhill for at least half a decade. See what happened after Cleon Jones, Gregg Jeffries, Dave Magadan, John Olerud, and Jose Reyes’ tenure with the Mets ended.
What kind of contract do you offer him?
Maybe I shouldn’t post this comment right after Murphy commits the bonehead throw to 3B on Saturday night but…. I can’t imagine that the Mets would go any higher than 2 years- $18 million. If he likes the team enough that might do it. But if other teams go 3 years – $30 million then I am quite sure he is out the door.
Daniel Murphy, career 333/419/752, 31 in April, earns $8 as highest salary
Kelly Johnson, career 331/424/755, 34 in April, earns $1.5 in 2015, earned $3M in 2014. Can also play the OF.
They both fill the same role. I would sign Johnson for one year. No need to overpay for Murphy in multiple years. Put the money elsewhere.
I like Murphy but this is a business decision.
And a baseball one
Good points. I’d sign him over Cespedes. And what a hit n run guy he’d be if TC would ever do it. Ever see a guy get his bat on the ball like him? He’s K’d in 8% of his AB’s. Vs LH’ers, Granderson has K’d 39 times in 100 AB’s. Not sure where Murph fits in on the field, but his bat is outstanding.
In the last 2 years, ’13/’14, Matt Carpenter leads all of baseball with 361 hits. Murph is second with 360, despite missing 2 weeks last fall. That alone makes him one of the best hitters in baseball.
Sorry to say it , but Murph is gone.
Kelly Johnson is a super utility man vs Murph, can play infield and outfield, boatloads of cash cheaper. 2B will be Flores and or Hererra’s to lose. I would like to see Mets keep Uribe if possible, in case David’s back flairs up, and for the bench. Good dude and good bench guy that Uribe,can pop 15 HR’s in his PT role. Also, saving Murphy’s $8m, Colon’s $10m, and Gee’s $3m or so makes it possible to keep Cespedes – $21m- $22m ? Now, if Sandy could only find some fool to take on at least half of Cuddy’s $10m next year, that would be a magic act and help insure keeping Cespedes, only 5 tool player on the roster.
EddieMetz: Many people thought when the Mets gave Cuddyer a 2 year – $21 million deal while punting their 1st round draft pick that the contract was front loaded or evenly split. That’s not how the Wilpons operate. In making it much harder to rid themselves of the player they tend to backload the contracts. So Cuddyer gets $8.5 million this year and $12.5 million next year when he’s a 37 year old. Brilliant, right?
Standard fare in a lot of FOs. It’s the only way to have a player now and also have other players now. You want bad? Look at the Stanton contract. He’s due 32M$ in his ages 33-35 seasons, only down to 25 mill at age 38.
Hope to be rooting for Murph in October. A versatile player who can hit is a big asset in the playoffs.
Love Murph, warts and all, but he’s simply priced himself out on a cost-conscious team.
I really have no idea how much he’ll earn out on the free market. For some reason, I always imagine on the Angels.
For some reason I see San Francisco as a reasonable landing spot for him.
It’s amazing to see the variety of opinion about him. Some say sign him even though it means big books for a good, but certainly not great, player.
Then when it pulls a bonehead stunt like his throw from first to third the other night Twitter lights up like a Christmas tree demanding that he should be banished almost immediately. Then he’ll turn around and slap that key RBI single to left and he becomes a folk hero again.
He’s terrible in the field. Can’t throw, can’t catch, makes bad decisions at game speed. He hits well, and on a team bereft of hitters he makes some sense if he’s cost controlled. Past that? I don’t lay out a dollar more than he presently makes.