Author: Lenny Chiarello
If you visited Citi Field in 2009 and browsed at the jersey selections by the 40,000 spectators, you’ll get the usual suspects- David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and Johan Santana. For some reason, joining these four superstars was Daniel Murphy, who grew to be a fan favorite for the Metropolitans.
I’m not sure when this love affair began. Maybe it was
when he became the first Mets rookie to record 10 hits in his first 20 at-bats.
Maybe it was when Daniel Murphy finished 2008 with a .313 batting average. Or,
maybe it was when Jerry Manuel announced that Daniel Murphy would be the starting
left fielder for the 2009 Mets in the first weeks of Spring Training-- before
Murphy had a chance to win the job on his own.
Granted, I cannot say that I was always “Anti-Murph.” I regretfully admit that I was once a member of this group of people who enjoyed watching Murphy play. When did this end for me? Let me flash you back to April 12, 2009—the New York Mets were facing the Josh Johnson and the Florida Marlins at Land Shark Stadium (is that what they call it now?). It was Daniel Murphy’s decisive error in left field that allowed the go-ahead run to score, resulting in a 2-1 loss.
Here’s the moral to my story ladies and gentlemen: Daniel Murphy cannot field. When Carlos Delgado went down with a hip injury, the Mets moved him to first base. I was then brought back into the Murphy realm once again—until he made 10 errors in 101 games.
For those of you who are still “Pro-Murph”, here this: Daniel Murphy’s poor fielding is not offset by a power stroke, either. In his first full season in the Big Leagues, Murphy hit .266 with 12 homers and 63 RBI with a .313 on-base percentage (I always talk about OBP because I feel it is such a vital stat that is rarely talked about). In 556 plate appearances, Daniel Murphy only walked 38 times.
So, here’s the $1,000,000 question: Is Daniel Murphy the first basemen of the 2010 New York Mets? My answer: Yes—but he will not finish there.
There are currently three first basemen I can see the Mets heavily pursuing before July’s Trade Deadline- All three of these players are in their contract season:
1) Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego: 2009 statistics: .277/40/99/.407—7 Errors in 160 games
2) Prince Fielder, Milwaukee: 2009 statistics: .299/46/141/.412—7 Errors in 162 games
3) Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay: 2009 statistics: .227/39/100/.356—10 Errors in 135 games
Adrian Gonzalez is going to be an interesting person to hear about in 2010. For some reason, I see him as a member of the Boston Red Sox by July’s deadline- Let’s remember that longtime Red Sox Assistant GM Jed Hoyer is now the General Manager of the San Diego Padres, replacing Kevin Towers.
If Prince Fielder gets dealt in 2010, he will be dealt for a ton- and rightfully so. He will also cost the most money when it comes time to talk about a contract—he’s going to want Teixeira money.
Mets fans, Carlos Pena is the man to watch in 2010. The Tampa Bay Rays are going to be in an interesting predicament next season with their two biggest offensive stars both entering their walk year, Pena and All-Star LF Carl Crawford. The Mets can get away with trading around some of their top prospects for this slugging first basemen who also shows great promise with his glove (he was the 2008 AL Gold Glove Winner).
So, for those of you who are still infatuated with Daniel Murphy, I have this word of advice for you—Enjoy it while it lasts.
Comments