The Major League Baseball journey of Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy has been a very interesting one. Murphy was selected by the New York Mets in the 13th round of the 2006 MLB Draft. Murphy came to the Mets as a man without a position, but he quickly found himself playing second base. In 49 games for the Mets in 2008, Murphy batted .313 with an on-base percentage of .397. Injuries saw Murphy become a regular in the Mets lineup in 2009 which included a short, painful venture playing left field, but he never complained. A knee injury put Murphy on the shelf for the entire 2010 MLB season, while a collision at second base in the following year ended his campaign after 109 games. Murphy would return to the Mets in 2012 and he became “Steady Eddie” in their lineup as you knew that he would be a player that would typically hit .290 without that much power as he was simply a contact hitter. Murphy made his only MLB All-Star Game appearance in 2014 as he continued to be a solid player, but not a superstar.
Murphy entered 2015 seeking an extension from the Mets which he never received as the organization wasn’t willing to commit big money to a player who was merely a contact hitter, while also being a defensive liability. But last year for the Mets, Murphy would have his best season as he batted .281 to go along with a career-high in home runs with 14, and 73 runs batted in. However Murphy saved his best moment for October when he got hit first crack at postseason baseball.
When the Mets needed someone to take the bull by the horns in the National League Divisional Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was Murphy that answered the bell. Murphy scored the first run of the series by hitting a solo home run off of Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw in Game 1. Murphy would homer off of Kershaw once more in Game 4. And in a decisive Game 5, Murphy put the Mets on his back. In the first inning Murphy drove in the first run of the game on an RBI triple before scoring the tying run later in the game for the Mets after his instinctive base running when the Dodgers forget to cover third base due to an infield shift. Later on Murphy would hit the series-clinching home run which propelled the Mets to their first trip to the NLCS since 2006. For the series against the Dodgers, Murphy batted .333 with 3 home runs and 5 runs batted in.
Murphy’s hot streak would continue in the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs as he hit a home run in each game of the series. In the process Murphy became the first player in postseason history to hit a home run in six consecutive games. And as the Mets swept the Cubs to earn their first NL Pennant since 2000, Murphy was selected as the MVP of the NLCS. For the series against the Cubs, Murphy batted .529 with 4 home runs and 6 runs batted in, and for his sake he became a household name at the right time as he was preparing to become a free agent.
Murphy would struggle at the plate in the World Series as the Mets lost to the Kansas City Royals, and he had key error in Game 4 which hurt New York’s chances as you wondered if that would hinder his chances as a free agent.
Murphy was seeking a long-term deal that never came down the pike. And once the Mets acquired second baseman Neil Walker from the Pittsburgh Pirates over the winter, it all but signaled the end of Murphy’s time in New York.
This past January, Murphy and the Washington Nationals would come to an agreement on a three-year contract that is worth $37.5 million which is much smaller than what he was seeking on the open market. But Murphy has always been a hard worker which the Nationals immediately found out. Murphy was brought in to provide protection in the Nationals lineup for outfielder Bryce Harper who is the reigning National League MVP which is exactly what the second baseman is doing.
Through the first two months of the 2016 Major League Baseball season, Murphy is batting .394 which by far the best in baseball to go along with 9 home runs, 34 runs batted in, and a slugging percentage of .636. Murphy’s production is a big reason why the Nats have bounced back from a disappointing 2015, and they are now in first place in the National League East with a three-game lead over his former club in the Mets.
But aside from what Murphy has done at the plate, he is a leader which is something that the Nationals needed. As previously mentioned, Murphy is a hard worker, and even though that he isn’t and won’t ever be categorized as being a fielder that is worthy of winning the Gold Glove, he leaves it all out on the baseball diamond each day. Murphy’s intangibles are not the reason why the Mets allowed him to walk in free agency as it was his defensive miscues as he has already committed 5 errors this year which included one that proved to be the difference in a loss to the Mets last month. However Murphy is a blue-collar guy which is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Nationals. And for a guy that has been a streaky hitter for his entire Major League Baseball career, he now finds himself on the hottest streak of his life.
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