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| Photo by Mack Ade |
Coming into the season, there was no room for Murphy in the starting lineup. He had already moved off third base years ago, in deference to David Wright. Ike Davis was entrenched at first base, the position Murphy spent most of his time at during the 2009 season. Left field was unavailable as well, with the Mets having invested an enormous amount of money in Jason Bay. Of course, Daniel's previous misadventures in the outfield were so memorable that it's hard to believe any baseball man would put him out there in anything short of an emergency again.
The best guess was that Murphy would see some time at all three of these positions, giving the starters a day off here and there. Second base remained an intriguing possibility - although Rule V pick Brad Emaus was annointed the starter initially, there was a thought that Murphy could find some playing time there as well.
As it turned out, Murphy has seen time at all four positions this year. His starts at first base and third base have mostly been out of necessity, given the extended absences of Davis and Wright. Emaus faltered and was quickly released, opening up playing time at second base as well. The results at the plate have been surprisingly good, enough to overshadow any defensive liabilities.
Murphy had been manning third base on a daily basis since the beginning of the month but with Wright back in the fold, one of the avenues he has been taking into the starting lineup has been closed off. Murphy figures to shift over to first base now, where Lucas Duda had been seeing time, but will likely get a few starts at second base as well.
With Davis likely out for the season after yet another comedy of errors by the Mets' training staff, Murphy's playing time for the rest of the 2011 season seems to be guaranteed. The questions about his future, then, will begin anew in the off-season.
The outfield remains off-limits. Bay is signed for another two years and is in no position to switch to center field or right field to accommodate Murphy. The corner infield positions are out as well - Wright and Davis surely aren't going anywhere. Murphy will not be playing shortstop, no matter what the Mets decide to do with Jose Reyes.
That leaves only second base, where Murphy would have to fight off Justin Turner and Ruben Tejada in the short term. The minor-league system is potentially deep at second base, so even if Murphy wins the job in 2012 there may always be a hot-shot youngster breathing down his neck.
The temptation to cast Murphy a utility player is always there, but it's not to hard to understand why a 27-year-old player might resist the label. His 2009 season at the plate was not particularly good, especially since Murphy showed little patience at the plate in putting together a .313 OBP. Still, cracking 38 doubles certainly hinted at the possibility of a potent bat, one that would play very well in the middle infield.
Patience remains a problem in 2011 - Murphy has only 21 walks in 366 plate appearances. Still, he's hitting over .300 and is on pace for nearly 40 doubles again. Even if Murphy never learns to take a walk, he would be a valuable offensive asset batting sixth or seventh to any team willing to put up with sub-par defense at second base.
Are the Mets going to be that team?
It's a strange scenario - Murphy's greatest value may lie as a utility player with the Mets, but it's safe to say that he could start at second base for quite a few teams across the league. If given a choice between the two, it stands to reason that Murphy would rather play every day than go begging for time as a backup.
Murphy, then, may be more valuable as off-season trade bait than in a Mets uniform. It will be curious to see how Sandy Alderson chooses to answer the question of Murphy's future with the Mets.
6 comments:
Jack, you know I have always loved this guy's bat.
I think he went into last night's game ranked 11th in the league in hitting.
He's my second baseman through 2016... butwattaIknow....
Ive already said trade Turner this year while you could get something for him. Murphy, in my opinion, will always have a better bat then Tejada so Ruben can stay at AAA as a injury replacement. So basically, Daniel should remain the everyday second baseman until something seriously better comes swinging along. When that does happen, if it does happen, trade him while he's still under team control and hopefully get something good for a player who bats .300 and hits 40 doubles a year. Remember, Murphy has little trouble hitting lefties aswell, so that also is another notch on his belt.
Mack, I see no reason not to start 2012 with the thought that Murphy is the second baseman. The injuries to other players have gotten his bat in the lineup, but taken away valuable experience playing the position at the big-league level. He's going to have to go to the AFL or to an instructional league in the off-season to continue his development at the position.
We were having similar conversations about Ty Wigginton years ago. Murphy is a utility player, albeit a super-sized one. We don't know what Davis' future is in the short term, micro-fracture surgery could be in the offing, and keeping a platoon at second base when both players in the platoon can play multiple positions does not hurt us. We need a starting pitcher and a right fielder while still paying Reyes what it takes to keep him here. There is no reason to pay for a second baseman when we have two that can fill the role while filling (between them) a third bench role and the minors has two or three prospects that can play the position (not counting Tejada). Assuming Davis is healthy and back by April that infield has the potential to be 3/4 all-star, second base doesn't need to be Rogers Hornsby.
TW:
If the Mets sign Jose Reyes for, let's say, a 5-year deal...
Left to play 2B is Murphy, Justin Turner, Ruben Tejada, Reese Havens, and Jordany Valdespin
Second base is just fine.
TW is correct, and yes the mets sure do have plenty of possibilities at second, however until Havens proves he can get 450 to 500 at bats in a season without getting hurt, no one really knows what type of player he'll be. We've seen the pop, but also there are a ton of strikeouts that go along with his constant trips to the DL. I've even heard rumblings that the Mets are considering changing their whole DL system. Supposedly, starting in 2012, instead of placing a player on the "disabled list", they're just going to say the player is "hanging out with Havens".
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