Amid a season that has been for the most part filled with disappointment and under-performance, a bright spot shines bright on this 22-32 New York Mets ballclub, and that beacon of light is named Daniel Murphy.
Murphy has emerged alongside David Wright as a primary source of offensive production on the year. Batting a cool .291/.323/.441 clip, his first two months of the season have put him on a pace for a total of 186 hits, 12 homers, 76 RBIs, 102 runs and 54 doubles.
The 28-year old has bounced all over the diamond with the Mets, and as we discussed in my interview with Murphy last month, he has found himself at home at second base. After a transition period that has taken now several seasons, Murphy has finally taken hold of his new position.
His emergence could not have come at a better time, as offensive production out of second in the National League has been hard to come by in 2013. Murphy is in the top three of nearly every offensive category for NL second baseman and is tied with Jay Bruce for the league-lead in doubles with 18.
His success has not only been limited to his turns at-bat as he also has helped to turn a league leading 40 double plays for second baseman.
Presuming Brandon Phillips gets an all-star nod, Daniel Murphy should without a doubt be on the roster at least as a reserve. His primary competition will be Marco Scutaro, who leads NL second baseman with a .329 batting average and is second only to Phillips in OPS with .808. With Giant’s skipper Bruce Bochy making the reserves selections, odds are he could go with his guy in Scutaro over Murphy, putting Murph in a situation where he may have to win the starting nod outright in the fan voting.
Wright will likely have his annual battle with Pablo Sandoval again, while Murphy could be in a three-way dog fight with Phillips and Scutaro for the job.
With the All-Star Game in Flushing for the first time in nearly 50 years, one can assume both Wright as well as Matt Harvey will be selected, however given the year Murphy has had, he deserves to be included as one the Mets to represent the host team on July 16th.
