The Future of Murphy (split from 9/16 IGT)

[Guest The Second Spitter]

I love Delgado more than most, but his age, the nature of his injury and the length of time he's spent on the DL make it hard for me to believe that it's in the Mets best interests to re-sign him.

I think he'll head back to Tee-dot, where can DH the majority of the time and hit his 500th HR as a Blue Jay.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I'm not sure what folks are advocating. We're all aware of the risks of Delgado, certainly, but if not resigning him, and not returning Murphy, and not rushing Davis, what exactly are we pushing to see? Because I don't think Prince Fielder is really in play.

[Valadius]

I see Daniel Murphy as a latter-day Ty Wigginton. I'd trade him.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

I'm not sure what folks are advocating. We're all aware of the risks of Delgado, certainly, but if not resigning him, and not returning Murphy, and not rushing Davis, what exactly are we pushing to see? Because I don't think Prince Fielder is really in play.[/quote:egrymftd]

Oh, I agree with you on Fielder and sorta regret ever bringing his name up. If the Mets were able to lure a LF slugger then I wouldn't object if they persevered with Murphy platooned with whoever. If not, I concede Delgado is a viable option, albeit not an ideal one. But it's difficult for any of us to make an informed call because of the uncertainty surrounding the Mets' finances for next season.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm not sure what folks are advocating. We're all aware of the risks of Delgado, certainly, but if not resigning him, and not returning Murphy, and not rushing Davis, what exactly are we pushing to see? Because I don't think Prince Fielder is really in play.[/quote:2dm68jsd]

Chris F Carter.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

MLB Trade Rumors just posted the payroll outlook for the Mets for next season;

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/09/offseason-outlook-new-york-mets.html

Some of the FA targets suggested by the writer scare me.

[bmfc1]

Keith Olbermann wrote about Murphy after last night's game:

Daniel Murphy is not now a major league first baseman. After a game-losing, panicky, assumption-driven fiasco in Atlanta Wednesday, Murphy tonight failed to make what would admittedly have been a special pick-up on a tough hop off the bat of Christian Guzman in the top of the first. And a first baseman needs to be "special" defensively if he has no real history of power, and has produced only 10-56-.262-.414 on his first big league season.

http://keitholbermann.mlblogs.com/

[ashie62]

I'm not sure what folks are advocating. We're all aware of the risks of Delgado, certainly, but if not resigning him, and not returning Murphy, and not rushing Davis, what exactly are we pushing to see? Because I don't think Prince Fielder is really in play.[/quote:2ziucqri]

I'm all for giving Carlos a shot at the right price...

If it works out I would like to see Murphy in a job where he is wearing suspenders and flair

[Guest Edgy DC]

Keith Olbermann wrote about Murphy after last night's game:

Daniel Murphy is not now a major league first baseman. After a game-losing, panicky, assumption-driven fiasco in Atlanta Wednesday, Murphy tonight failed to make what would admittedly have been a special pick-up on a tough hop off the bat of Christian Guzman in the top of the first. And a first baseman needs to be "special" defensively if he has no real history of power, and has produced only 10-56-.262-.414 on his first big league season.

http://keitholbermann.mlblogs.com/[/quote:388ry861]

Yeah, and a smug snarking comtemptuous comic newsman has to be special journalistically if he has no real history of news outside of sports.

I think we know that Mets' injuries have exposed players beyond their capacities. We don't need a guy blogging from the $2000 seats at Yankee Stadium III to say so.

[metsmarathon]

i'm sorry... i think even mex would've had a hard time with that play...

[metirish]

Yeah, and a smug snarking comtemptuous comic newsman has to be special journalistically if he has no real history of news outside of sports.

Well said Sir

[bmfc1]

To me, Olbermann is a genius, news or baseball. Besides hosting his own news show, he is a baseball historian. Even if you don't agree with his politics, you cannot discount his baseball knowledge. He attends almost every game at CF and YS and I think that his words carry great weight. There are many who think that Murphy would be OK at 1B in '10 and I do not. When Olbermann posted similar thoughts, I wanted to share it with my friends at the CPF.

[metirish]

I like Olbermann plenty. I would agree with him on a lot of things. I did think Edge's comment was rather clever too.

[Fman99]

I'm not sure what folks are advocating. We're all aware of the risks of Delgado, certainly, but if not resigning him, and not returning Murphy, and not rushing Davis, what exactly are we pushing to see? Because I don't think Prince Fielder is really in play.[/quote:1906mro9]

Chris F Carter.[/quote:1906mro9]

Here here, give this guy a chance. If you're not getting 25 HRs from 1B you're behind the pace... especially with no LF power and a tremendous question mark on what Wright will do, power-wise, in '010.

[Frayed Knot]

Keith Olbermann wrote about Murphy after last night's game:

Daniel Murphy is not now a major league first baseman. After a game-losing, panicky, assumption-driven fiasco in Atlanta Wednesday, Murphy tonight failed to make what would admittedly have been a special pick-up on a tough hop off the bat of Christian Guzman in the top of the first. And a first baseman needs to be "special" defensively if he has no real history of power, and has produced only 10-56-.262-.414 on his first big league season.[/quote:1jadjm83]

He also named him the worstest person in the world.

[HahnSolo]

He attends almost every game at CF and YS and I think that his words carry great weight.

[bmfc1]

Yes. He misses some of course but if he's off from the show, there's a night game in NY (like last night). I should have said "a lot" rather than "almost" all.

[G-Fafif]

I think we know that Mets' injuries have exposed players beyond their capacities. We don't need a guy blogging from the $2000 seats at Yankee Stadium III to say so.

I was going to say lay off Steve, but I realized you were talking about somebody else.

Keith's devotion to baseball impresses me, except when I tune in to watch "Countdown" and discover he's abandoned his post to go to a game and the host's chair is filled by some lesser light. He sure manages a lot of nights off in the middle of the season.

Which I guess is pretty impressive in itself.

[ashie62]

Olbermann is too over the top on TV for me...kinda like the male Nancy Grace...

[Guest Edgy DC]

I don't mean to be a douche. It just seems to me that nobody is going to come out and applaud Murphy's performance in the ninth inning. He lost them the game. Keith takes a pretty safe position there the morning after the night before.

As for Murphy next year, sure, as long as (a) he plays markedly better, and/or ( the Mets are otherwise stacked and clicking. As for whether he's a major league firstbaseman now, I imagine his tax forms say he is. Otherwise, first base seems like one of the bigger targets for the Mets to improve at during the offseason.

He's certainly been one of the lower- (or lowest-) performing starting firstbaseman you can get your hands on. I'd love to give him a chance to improve. Preferably I'd like to see him try that off the bench. If he can't ever crack a stronger lineup, then he goes the way of the Boisclair.

[Met Hunter]

I don't like first basemen that can't hit for power.

Nick Johnson, Mancaveitch types...Olerud ability is about as low as I'd like to go on the power meter

As far as Murphy goes, he's on my last nerve[/quote:2c14xrzd]


I disagree that the first baseman has to be a power hitter. It would help of course, and we've been spoiled with Delgado. But I'll take a slick fielding, clutch hitting, sharp minded Mex over a power hitter seven days a week.

I'm also losing it with Murph. That's why I hate early comparisons to greater players.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Whether you like Delgado or hate him (or something in between), we've really never had a firstbaseman like him --- as common as his ilk may seem to be. Clendenon 1970 was pretty close, but batted righthanded. Milner was cut from the same cloth, but wasn't the same level of power threat even relative to the context.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Well, there was Mo Vaughn, who had his moments, but just not very many of them.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yeah, but that's sort of what I mean. We've had guys who we meant to --- or hoped would --- perform like Delgado, but rarely has one for any meaningful length of time.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

I'd like to see him get another chance. Isn't he hitting close to .300 since the All-Star break or something? It's a learning year, and I think it's too early to write him off. He's certainly had some horrible moments at first, but some nice ones, too.

In a batting order with better players -- like the ones on our disabled list -- you wouldn't have him hitting clean-up and he might do better.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Exactly. The guy is young and cheap. The issue isn't him per se. But more good healthy players, which --- the reality is --- we've lacked this year. Don't hate on the guy because he's survived the plague of injuries and therefore been overexposed and left holding the bag.

[metirish]

My question regarding Murphy is this

With hard work in the off season can he get better around the bag ?

OK so the answer is of course he can.....but do you think he will ?

I have my doubts that Murphy will ever get much better than what he has shown.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

The Mets look bad for seemingly having too much faith in Muffy, though it should be noted that they were prepared to some degree to have him flop in LF with Sheff and Tatis etc. ready to step in, and that they wouldn't have planned 1B for him had Delgado not been hurt.

That said, he's been disappointing considering the opportunity of a lifetime this season became for him.

What's really missing from his game this year is the sense that he's got a plan when he steps into the box. Last year, his determination to make every turn at bat a Rocky-quality prizefight was thrilling and satisfying and to me portended he'd at the very least throw up a respectable OBP. But he really hasn't.

On a side note, I like defense as much as the next guy, maybe more, but the suggestion that the Mets can get by with a shitty hitting first baseman with a good glove is forgetting the difference between Mientkiewicz and Delgado, the magnitude of it from '05 to '06.

That's not to say I advocate going out and buying a new 1Bman for 10. I don't. I think Muffy/Carter can be a semi-adequate placeholder just as Wiggy was at 3B while we waited for Wright to arrive.

[ashie62]

With all the injuries Murphy has gottem the opportunity of a lifetime, and a chance for the Mets to find out about him in one shot...What do we have?

Defense? We all know that one..Batting..decent K/BB ratio and not much pop.
Mets future? Probably none..doesn't hit enough to hide the glove..

I think of Chris Carter as a Herd filler..He's not that young and has done little to date.

It's Ike Davis' job to lose going into spring, and yes, he is being rushed.

just my opinion

[Guest Edgy DC]

That won't happen.