What do you do with Murphy?

[soupcan]

So this Murphy to second business is kinda funny to me right now.

This weekend my son's Babe Ruth team (13 year-olds) played a great game. A really nice kid (Robbie) tossed a complete game (7 innings) 2 hit shutout against a team that looked like each one of them could best the Manassas Mauler. It was really great because Robbie is this pudgy little lefthander who was just soft-tossing these lumberjacks the whole game and they were corkscrewing themselves into the ground trying to knock the ball three counties over. But I digress...

One parent comes over to my son's coach around the 6th inning and starts arguing with him because HIS son has not been seeing enough time at second and has been batting too low in the order for the dad's (and presumably the son's) liking. The coach - much to his credit - dismisses the dad wih a wave of his hand, telling the dad, "I'm not discussing this with you, now". The dad, then proceeds to smack the coaches hand away forcifully, then knocks the coach's hat off of his head, threatens to punch him and made more threats about consequence and bad things that would happen to to the coach. Now rest assured that is all being handled as I type this and it looks like the dad (the sponsor of the team btw) will be banned from attending any more games.

My point in telling you all this story is that the coach - we'll call him 'Bob' (because, well, that's his name) has for as long as I've been helping him out (2 years) felt that at the level the boys are now playing, it behooves the team to put the better athletes in the outfield rather than the infield. His reasoning is that if you make an error in the infield it may cost you a base, but if you make an error in the outfield it will cost you a run. As a result Bob plays his best athletes in the outfield. In other words its a compliment to be an outfielder on Bob's team and he's basically saying that any fencepost can play second.

And THAT is where the Murphy thing comes in. Why hide the guy in the outfield where bad defense can and will be so much more costly. Put him at second. How hard can it really be for a major-league player who came up as an infielder to be a serviceable second baseman?

[Ceetar]

Infield does seem to be more Murphy's speed, although i wouldn't be opposed to the occasional OF stint if it created roster flexibility elsewhere. I think he'll be fine at second, if not above average like he seemed at first. The one thing I'd say is that second is a lot more passive than the corners, and Murphy is a very aggressive guy.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Ceetar wrote: The one thing I'd say is that second is a lot more passive than the corners, and Murphy is a very aggressive guy.

I think that's just the way the incumbent plays it.

Middle-infield's all about controlled (insofar as you know which of you and the shortstop is covering the bag/going full-bore for this grounder ahead of time) aggressiveness; the corners just require quicker reflexes.

soupcan wrote: Put him at second. How hard can it really be for a major-league player who came up as an infielder to be a serviceable second baseman?

I think, turns aside, he seems pretty temperamentally suited to be a decent sort of second baseman, if not a particularly fun to watch sort... making up with range/aggression what he doesn't have in dexterity.

Also, I don't know whether I'm more amazed at DoucheDad's smacking of the coach's hand, or the fact that he was arguing Babe Ruth batting order to begin with.

[Guest attgig]

soupcan wrote: His reasoning is that if you make an error in the infield it may cost you a base, but if you make an error in the outfield it will cost you a run.

kinda think this coaching strategy is more suited for those lower levels. while you expect to give up a base or few in little league baseball, giving up a base at the major league level is generally NOT a good thing. While an error in the outfield may have larger repercussions, the amount of chances a 2bman gets will require a better defender on a play by play basis. not only is it about errors, but also about range - will he be able to get to balls to prevent even a base hit much less an error. or consider hands/arm with the double play balls.


i like bob's strategy for kids learning positions, but if he did that in the major league level, it would NOT fly.

[Frayed Knot]

How hard can it really be for a major-league player who came up as an infielder to be a serviceable second baseman?

If it was easy they'd all do it as you can usually get away with much less of a stick at 2B than at 3B. Or, put another way, a good hitting 2B is considerably more valuable than the same stick at 3B and yet all this time no one ever thought to put Murph at 2nd - possibly because he was just considered a passable at best 3rd sacker.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

That DB parent sounds like the kind of guy who would build a hockey rink in his yard.

I coach a coed softball team, and I can hide a player at second -- but not as much as in right. Granted, we have four outfielders, and coed softball doesn't resemble baseball in anything other than that David Wright is on the tag that came with my glove. But I liked Soup's story.

In an unrelated matter, I once had a player who demanded to bat leadoff, play short and play every inning of every game. He could hit a little, but I swear I had him at short and he botched every single throw over to first. I wonder if he had a dad like the one in Soup's story.

[Guest Edgy DC]

What's the name/URL of the dad's corporation?

[soupcan]

Edgy DC wrote: What's the name/URL of the dad's corporation?

You really want it...?

[Centerfield]

In DoucheDad's defense, Alex Cora Jr. has almost no range at second base, and has no business batting that high in the order...

[Guest Edgy DC]

You really want it...?

Why not? If he's going to whack the forumite's children's coach's hats off, he deserves a little pushback.

Anyhow, as a career secondbaseman, I have to say that, while covering a lot more ground in Babe Ruth 13-Year-Old Prep, it was a pretty easy position that year. I could play shallow, get three chances to pick up a ball after knocking it down, and get credits for infield fly putouts before even catching them. (Two or more runners forced with less than two outs was a near contstant.) Baserunners just didn't get down the line particularly fast.

I even turned two or three doubleplays that year. The downside is that I developed some bad habits that needed shedding later. I also whacked the hell out of the ball that year, batting third and hitting .500. My team was pretty sucky, however, scratching for consistent pitching.

[soupcan]

Tell you what - at this point let me see what the league does to discipline him. Once the whole thing shakes out, if you still want it, I'll pm it to you.

[Centerfield]

Anyone know how he did last night?

Did he kill anyone?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Centerfield wrote: Anyone know how he did last night? Did he kill anyone?

Not too bad.

[Gwreck]

Murphy suffers serious leg injury on takeout slide at second base tonight in Buffalo.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Adam Rubin wrote: Daniel Murphy appear to suffer a serious leg injury Wednesday night with Triple-A Buffalo. According to the Buffalo News' Mike Harrington, Murphy needed to be carried off the field after getting rolled at second on a "cheap slide" on a double play by Syracuse's Leonard Davis. He was unable to put weight on his right leg. Murphy was playing his second straight game at second base.

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/3935/murph-injured-in-buffalo

derp

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

d'oh

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Poor Murphy. I hope it isn't as serious as it sounds.

Second base can be a very dangerous place for those that aren't accustomed to dealing with base runners around the bag.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Holy crap.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

He'll make a great utility glue, anyway.

This is terrible for him.

[Guest themetfairy]

That's just awful. Poor kid!

[Fman99]

Damn, Syracuse, why you gots to be like that?

[bmfc1]

Just awful. Perhaps a more experienced 2B gets out of the way. And if the Nationals player was guilty of a dirty hit, I hope that the Bisons remember it this afternoon.

From the [u:1v2x7t1l]Buffalo News[/u:1v2x7t1l]:

Murphy was carried off the field in the seventh inning after Syracuse's Leonard Davis roll-blocked him sliding past second base on a double-play pivot. Dirty play. You wonder if it's season-ending. Especially since it's the same knee Murphy injured in spring traing. At any rate, the Mets' experiement with Murphy as a utility man is over for a while.

http://blogs.buffalonews.com/insidepitch/2010/06/murphy-and-thole-out.html

[Guest Edgy DC]

I bet his dad is sorry he yelled at Ken Oberkfell now.

Seriously, the roll-block is a dirty play under any circumstances.

I'm guessing, but I imagine for some players, there's an extra cheap thrill getting a piece of big leaguers playing in the minors.

[duan]

what's a roll block?

[Guest Edgy DC]

The rolling block slide is rolling your torso toward the relaying player as you slide toward him, so you not only interfere with his throw, but if his leg remains at all planted, you do some serious damage to it, potentially bending it under your body with all it's forward force rolling down on it.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Or, if you're A-Rod, you can try to sit on the guy's leg.

[ashie62]

A case of Murphy's law. He may want to forget 2010 by now anyway.

[Centerfield]

Well, I guess we were hoping Murphy would end up like Wigginton.

[ashie62]

Centerfield wrote: Well, I guess we were hoping Murphy would end up like Wigginton.

Yeah, pretty much.

[Zvon]

Why have we been so snake bit for the last bunch of years!
Did this all begin with the homer by FatAss in 2006?

Someone, please point out exactly what we did to deserve all that has happened since.

Ill become METRETROMAN and I'll develop the ability to go back in time and fix all this!

After reading about this yesterday and Castillos other foot today I had to think WTF do we do now?
Cora is what he is, and he has been over achieving in some aspects, but he is no PORNSTARMUSTACHMAN.

Feel free to prove me wrong Alex.
Feel very free.