Murphy
If the Mets intend to keep Murphy’s bat in the line-up next year, they have to find a spot for him-a permanent one that he can handle and excel in. What happened on Sunday was no freak accident, it was something that was bound to happen. I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner
I’ve been very hard on Dan Murphy. I criticised his first and second base skills, I even went so far as to re-name him The Butcher for his play everywhere but at the plate. But as I hate to say it, I called this last week when I said that his lack of baseball skills would either get someone or himself hurt.
In this sad case, it is Dan Murphy who will suffer and as much as I teased him, I hate to see it happen.
Dan Murphy is a good hard baseball player who needs desperately to find a position on the Mets. I love his attitude and his guts but the Mets have to find a way to harness these traits. I personally hope they are not thinking of putting him in the outfield-that would be a grand mistake.
Which comes to my next conclusion, the Mets hurt Murphy by not finding the position for him. He was not a good second baseman( on second thought, he was never a good second baseman) to begin with and he barely plays a decent first base. The Mets pushed him to become somethings he’s not and they have to put a halt to it.
I know Murphy is a fan/Met front office favorite, but this search for an identity in the field has to end. This is the second time he’s gotten hurt playing second and that means that it has to be off limits.
Solutions? What was Murphy’s original position? I believe it was third base. So option one is simple: Murphy at third, Wright at first. OK stop choking. How about Murphy at first and trade Davis? Honestly, the only place Murphy can play that allows him to be semi-out-of-harms-way is first base. But remember, if he plays there, your going to lose games.
Thoughts?
21 comments
Anonymous
8/9/2011-1:05pm at 1:05 pm (UTC -4)
I’ll play. Murphy to first, Ike to RF. Ike’s played OF before.
Now, Ike’s D is far superior to Murphy’s. You’re probably better off with Murph in LF (yeah, start that experiment again), move Bay to RF and keep Ike at 1B as defensive alignment.
Either way, I think we’ll see Murph as a bench guy who will see more time at 2B and spelling both Wright and Ike from time to time.
As to what he’s best suited for is the “new” DH type guy. We know we are seeing the DH position used less for someone who can’t play the field but rather as a spot to rest everyday players from time to time. With Murph hitting and having the ability to play 1B, 3B, 2B and possibly OF spots, he could hit every day, play the field 3 times a week and DH the rest. Oakland or a team like that (KC, LAA or even Balt) would be on Murph like white on rice if they could.
Anonymous
8/9/2011-1:15pm at 1:15 pm (UTC -4)
The hits never stop!……..This guy simply isn’t a MLBer with a glove
BUT clearly can hit. Sort of a Lefthanded Ty Wiggington……..
Problem is now though that these injuries drive down his trade
value. If he’d had stayed healthy and finished up strong we’d have
been able to get something nice back for him. He’s never gonna
be our long term 3B, 2B or 1B. So…..???
And now Reyes on the DL…… Further complicating what kind of
contract he should get. It never ends………………….
Anonymous
8/9/2011-1:38pm at 1:38 pm (UTC -4)
At least the black and yellow are back on the field.
Yeah, it’s such a catch 22. His bat says play every day, his field says play the bench. If he made it through the season unscathed, I’m sure Oakland, who is so rich in pitching, would part with something for Murphy (SP or BP arm). Being so cheap and controllable, Mr. Moneyball would be in heaven.
MetsFan4Decades
8/9/2011-2:15pm at 2:15 pm (UTC -4)
Murph isn’t going to play 1st or 3rd on this team right now as the plan for 2012 seems to be Wright/Davis.
I just don’t see him as an OF. When he played LF, his arm was so weak that they had Jose going halfway out to get the throws in from him.
Keith commented in the booth last night he thought the best place to try him is RF. But did caveat with he’d have to build up arm strength and he’d have to learn the position – such as what base to throw into depending on the play.
I like Murph, I certainly like his bat but other than a suber sub, I’m just not sure he’s got a regular spot on this team. Maybe we can trade him as a 3rd baseman to some team that needs one. I’d just hate to lose him though.
Beats me what the answer will be.
TRS86
8/9/2011-5:01pm at 5:01 pm (UTC -4)
Can’t help to continue to disagree on this one. The fault lies in the fact that instead of leaving him at 2nd when Ike went down they moved him yet again. What they need to do is let him play 2nd again all fall and winter then again this spring and let him compete for that job. If it is clear then that he can’t play a passable 2nd (what I saw earlier this year was indeed passable) then make a decision that he is either just a bench guy or ship him off. I refuse to let a freak play that most baseball people say could not have been avoided force me into a gut reaction. Yeah I know there have been 2 of them but the first was admittedly his fault. However that does not mean that he is incapable. I would not call Jeff Kent an athlete either.
All of the naysayers could be right. MY point is the sample size is still too small and that Will is the Mets fault.
Anonymous
8/9/2011-6:12pm at 6:12 pm (UTC -4)
“…a freak play that most baseball people say could not have been avoided…”
Are these “baseball people” Metsblog commenters?
Freak play? It was a freak play precisely because of the absolutely horrific position Murphy was in.
He was squatting down over the bag in a position where there was no way he could move.
His left leg was almost horizontally located DIRECTLY in the path of the oncoming runner’s sliding leg, hence in perfect position to get spiked AND have his leg smashed. Which happened.
Murphy was in an absolutely horrible position which NO second baseman ever is in. That is why he got hurt AGAIN.
The sample size shows quite clearly that he should not–and will not–ever again be considered for 2B.
TRS86
8/9/2011-6:37pm at 6:37 pm (UTC -4)
Actually his leg was NOT directly in the path of a normal slide. In fact it was to the left and behind him. The slide itself was so bad and no where near the bag that it put him in an akward position. I have no idea if with experience he could have known to get out of the way once he saw the terrible slide or not.
Again, NONE of us are experts on 2nd base positioning or who can and can not play 2B. What I saw earlier this year was a passable 2B learning the position that he had barely played. What you see is something different. Oh well.
Anonymous
8/9/2011-7:04pm at 7:04 pm (UTC -4)
Your first paragraph is just not what happened. The slide was “no where near the bag?”
Who EVER has their leg in the position Murph had it in? No second baseman. Ever. At any time.
It wasn’t the slide, it was outrageously bad positioning by Murph.
And who are these “baseball people”??
TRS86
8/9/2011-8:20pm at 8:20 pm (UTC -4)
Go back and watch the play again. He had his left leg behind him with his right leg blocking the bag. The guy slid so awkward that he ended up spiking the leg behind Murphy not the one blocking the bag. Again I see it differently is it really worth continuing?
Anonymous
8/9/2011-8:34pm at 8:34 pm (UTC -4)
His right leg blocking the bag? It’s a foot or more behind it. His left leg behind him?
Watch the play man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNvdFoCaD6s
TRS86
8/9/2011-11:55pm at 11:55 pm (UTC -4)
Man I did watch the play. However from that angle his right leg was much further back so I conceed that point. His left leg was behind him where it would not have been hit if not for the awkward slide. However as I said it was a combination of awkward slide and lack of positioning. That being said maybe he could learn the position if they would stop jerking him around.
Anonymous
8/9/2011-6:22pm at 6:22 pm (UTC -4)
I’m not sure how comfortable any one can be with positioning and such when they never play 2B. Not quite sure how Turner plays into next years team, but i would have rathered seen Duda at 1B, Murph at 2B and Hairston in LF on a more consistent level, if nothing more than getting Murphy consistent reps at 2B. Duda can slide into RF no worries and Hairston probably isn’t on the team next year, so might as well take what you can from this year and use it as on the job training without having to worry about blowing the season (which is already blown).
If it is deemed that they are going to run with Murph in RF, slap him out there! But they don’t, so they didn’t. And now he can’t join that off season kickball league he was thinking about. Oh, the humanity…
Gonzo Will
8/9/2011-5:19pm at 5:19 pm (UTC -4)
Sorry TRS. Murphy playing second is like watching a trout teach Shakespeare. He can’t do it. Do you see the side by side Turner/Murphy tag for a steal. Murphy does not have the experience or baseball instincts to play the position. He barely had the instincts to play first. Did you see that slide he made into first almost hurting himself or Izzy? I love his passion for the game and his tenacity at the plate but his only spot is either the bench or possibly first base.
Anonymous
8/9/2011-5:28pm at 5:28 pm (UTC -4)
I’m not sure who all the baseball people that say the injury was unavoidable are but I’ve read just the opposite so I would say there are supporters of your theory and mine. So let’s just say we agree to disagree.
OTOH from a pitcher’s perspective the Mets are comprised of a staff that consist of mostly contact pitchers and it is important to be strong up the middle. Groundballs that are not reached, doubleplays that are not made and poor baseball decisions extend innings and raise pitch counts and impact not just the starter’s workload but the number of relievers used in a given game. Of course if Murphy drove in over 100 rbi in eight seasons and hit over 30 hrs in 3 seasons as Kent did I might think differently.
Anonymous
8/9/2011-7:50pm at 7:50 pm (UTC -4)
Disqus is soooooooooooo sloooooooooooooooow….
MetsFan4Decades
8/9/2011-8:32pm at 8:32 pm (UTC -4)
Yes, is for me too on this site. I’m not sure why b/c MLBTR uses Disqus and it’s not slow over there for me.
MetsFan4Decades
8/9/2011-8:46pm at 8:46 pm (UTC -4)
So much being said on Murphy and if he was out of position or not. I originally stated right after it happened that it’s never going to be static b/c catchers don’t always throw strikes down to 2nd base on a steal.
Saw this analysis that sort of backs up what I saw:
“Having poured over the video and pictures of other second baseman:
Murphy was in fine position, unless plenty of other second basemen are
‘wrong’, too, in Collin’s view – which was – Murphy’s positioning on the play may have played a part in the injury.
Paulino’s throw is high and to the right
of the bag, meaning Murphy stretches slightly to his right to catch it,
meaning he either has to possibly let the ball go by because his knee
is planted on the ground, and he can’t extend his body/shift momentum to
get it, or he lifts his leg a few inches to get that extra mobility. He
lifted his leg to get that extra mobility, and lo and behold…”
“How often does a guy’s foot kick up after he slides into the bag like
that? Almost regardless of where his leg was, he was gonna get kicked,
it just happened to be in the knee on that play.”
********************************
I’ve seen just as many theories on this being a freak accident as I have that it was Murphy’s positioning that was at fault. Only conclusion I can come to is….b/c it was a bad slide (spikes got caught and then released and with the momentum sending his foot up in the air), maybe, just maybe a more athletic type player would have got out of the way in the nick of time?
TRS86
8/10/2011-2:27am at 2:27 am (UTC -4)
Perhaps or maybe a guy who has been allowed to learn the position would realize you have to let some balls go for the sake of injury. Like I argued before it was more of a perfect storm. Little bit of bad positioning and a lot of bad slide.
Anonymous
8/9/2011-9:40pm at 9:40 pm (UTC -4)
if those are your options, trade him to the AL to DH
TRS86
8/10/2011-2:28am at 2:28 am (UTC -4)
Love Murph but he is not a good enough hitter in the longrun to be a dh either.
Anonymous
8/9/2011-11:51pm at 11:51 pm (UTC -4)
He should be Dickey’s personal catcher so he can wait for the knuckler to stop rolling and then pick it up.
And the Met’s don’t take the hit for not finding him a position imo, Murphy does, in his formative years he didn’t treat fielding as a priority and you get out what you put in. Herego, his infamous statement as a youngster on his position “I hit third”