Last night’s game showcased the magic of this Metropolitan team. This army of misfit toys has been assembled to make a legitimate run and fans are seeing that night-in and night-out.
One of the quirkiest and most energetic soldiers in the army is Daniel Murphy, the position-less boy wonder who knows how to swing a piece of lumber. Murphy, who got off to a slow start in 2015 after getting hurt in Spring Training, is starting to look like the player that Mets’ fans have grown accustomed to seeing aimlessly strut the dirt between first and second. While he has moved around the infield more this season, his bat is much the same, with an added bit of power thrown into the mix.
Murphy is hitting .289 so far this season which is on par with his career average. The Mets utility man has smacked nine home runs in 97 games while driving in 50 and hosting a respectable 25-31 K/BB ratio with a .326 wOBA and 110 wRC+ .
However, Murphy has really taken it up a notch in his last 20 games, posting a .348 average and .976 OPS with a .407 wOBA and 166 wRC+ in 95 plate appearances. He has 12 doubles, 4 home runs and 17 RBIs in that span.
While Murphy doesn’t excel at any position, he has filled a much-needed role for this Mets team, both before and after the trade-deadline acquisitions. Without his bat faltering, Murphy has moved from third to second to first base each night, depending on where Terry Collins needs him.
No matter where Murphy bats in the order or where Collins plays him defensively, he still brings an intangible flare and excitement that pumps up fans and players alike. We’ve come to expect this from him and the team feeds off of it.
Murphy is part of what makes this team so exciting and fun to watch right now. If the New York Mets allow him to bolt for free agency after this season as many reports are suggesting, he’ll be a lot more difficult to replace than most people think.
