Hi Mack,
I just wanted to comment on the under the radar but excellent play of Daniel Murphy. He has certainly had an uneven, evolving career with the Mets but I think he's finally comfortable at second and becoming the best version of himself possible.
He appears comfortable and has settled in defensively at second. I'm not saying he'll ever win a gold glove there but he has been performing like a steady average to slightly above average regular there so far this season. He made a great play and jumping throw across his body last night to get an out and he's improved by leaps and bounds turning the double play (while protecting himself) and in terms of his timing as well.
We all knew that if he could stick at 2nd his bat would play there, and now that he's solidly average at second and not a liability there his offensive game appears to be heading to the next level. I'd love to see him finish this year at about 300/360/450 with 40 doubles and 12-15 other extra base hits (probably 3-5 triples and 10 or so home runs.) His base running has been very good this year (with one notable exception) and he gets good reads so even though he's not particularly fast he can pilfer maybe 15 bases in a year whilte taking advantage of other teams mistakes to run first to third.
He's also a very positive influence in the clubhouse. At this point he's one of the longest tenured Mets after David Wright, he cheers on the younger guys, leads by example and has always tried his best for the Mets wherever they put him, regardless if it's the outfield, 1st, 2nd or 3rd.
Many people think the Mets should trade him while his value is on the rise. I disagree. I don't think his value to other clubs in a trade will be worth as much as his value to this team. We still have two years of control over him (through his age 30 season) and I think we should start to consider extending him. Perhaps something along the lines of 5 years (through his age 33 season.) His offensive value at second base is obvious, he's not costing us runs at second and his intangibles are undeniable. Let's lock up a fan favorite through his prime years at a reasonable cost and have some stability at second base for the first time in years.
What's your take on this Mack?
Cheers,
Dan
Mack -
Hey Dan.
The first thing I try to do is first look around and see if there is anyone that is either on the team or in the organization that has more talent at a particular position that a player is being discussed. In this care, that would take a look see at Justin Turner, Jordany Valdespin, Reese Havens, and Wilmer Flores.
If Turner should be playing every day at second, he'd already be playing there.
Valdespin does not have the blessing of team management and a promotion to replace a team leader with this hot dog would do far more harm than gain.
Sadly, Havens; days of playing for the Mets might be over this year.
And Flores, though praised for what he is doing in AAA this year, is not as balanced a hitter as Murphy.
For now... Murphy should remain as the 2014 second baseman.
1 comment:
The way Ike has been playing, his position as the Mets' first baseman of the future is certainly in doubt. If Ike keeps up the horrible play, I could see Flores becoming the Mets first baseman of the future with Murphy completely securing his standing as their everyday second baseman.
Daniel is a great hitter and hits lefties as well. He's become a good defender and over the next fives years, I could see him averaging a .310/.375/.450 stat line; always knocking 40 doubles and around 10 homers. Who could ask for more at that position? He's certainly become the best pure hitter on the team. Lets face it, Wright is not going to be the guy he was in his first 7 years while having a strike out machine protecting him in the lineup.
The Mets desperately need a bonafide slugger, who isn't prone to a 33% K rate, batting behind Wright. Maybe Duda will fill that role, but I'm not convinced. Eventually, they are going to have to make a trade because there isn't a genuine clean up hitter in next years FA market. I really believe Sandy would trade the farm for Stanton, the Marlins just need to put him on the market.
Right now, 2013 is an audition for so many throughout the entire system. The Mets' players are playing to show they belong on the 2014 team and beyond. While the minor leaguers are hopefully developing their skills and increasing their trade values.
The PCL is not doing any pitchers, other than McHuch for now, any favors. Wheeler has had controll issues before, but he has never been hit the well. The guy I saw pitch two innings to the Nationals was a lot better then the one who is tossing batting practice in Vegas. The true barometer for me is when Montero gets promoted to Vegas. I can't wait to see how he does there.
I've gone completely off topic, I know, so I'll just say that I wouldn't trade Murphy unless he's part of a package for a true power hitting outfielder. Kind of like how Prado was part of the package the D-Backs got for Upton. I could live with that knowing Flores could step in.
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