Memories of Daniel Murphy

[Guest themetfairy]

As was stated earlier in a different thread - he was Muffy, but he was our Muffy....

Obviously we'll remember his incredible postseason home run streak. Also the error in Game 5 of the World Series - Muffy giveth, Muffy taketh away....

He had a great work ethic - he was always the first guy out there stretching before games -



And he was a good guy.



Thanks for everything Muffy - you'll be missed!

[MFS62]

The streak.
It will always be the streak.
And glad to have a second baseman who could get 50 extra base hits a year.
And, in case anyone hadn't heard him during WFAN radio interviews, he gave a great interview and may have a future behind the mike when he retires.

Later

[dgwphotography]

I'll remember the hustle.



For all of his faults, he always seemed to leave it all on the field. There was also his humility. It struck me when praise was heaped upon him in every post game interview, he would immediately deflect it with a positive comment towards one of his teammates.

But, I'll also remember this:



This was September 24, 2008 - I have a picture of JCL that I took right after this that made me consider putting him on the suicide watch list.

[Edgy MD]

There was something strange that Whitey Herzog put in his book, and it stuck with me. He said that Lonnie Smith's frequent boners were such that he actually got experience at falling down, so he learned to keep his head, stick with a play. He said something generous, if backhanded, like, "Nobody recovers faster than Lonnie Smith."

What I loved about Murphy is how he stuck with plays, and made some damn creative recoveries. Nobody this side of Rey Ordóñez made so many "How did he do that?!" plays. And he was pretty good fielder overall at first. Just, you know, he hit better for a second baseman.

Score it bag-to-3-to-1 with some Curly Neal flair:

SGGxDGVOgfc

Foot-3-1 with a Wimbledon backhand:

XZpF0YyzEFo

More importantly, he was a doubles machine. He leaves as the second doubliest Met of all time, having just squeaked past Ed Kranepool at the end of 2015. As far as doubles per plate appearance, nobody was in his league. The Murphy League.

Rank	Player	Doubles	PA	Dubbs/PA
1	David Wright	382	6705	0.0570
2	Daniel Murphy	228	3619	0.0630
3	Ed Kranepool	225	5997	0.0375
4	Jose Reyes	222	4840	0.0459
5	Howard Johnson	214	4591	0.0466
6	Edgardo Alfonzo	212	4449	0.0477
7	Carlos Beltran	208	3640	0.0571
8	Mike Piazza	193	3941	0.0490
9	Darryl Strawberry	187	4549	0.0411
10	Cleon Jones	182	4683	0.0389

[Frayed Knot]

He was a likable guy and I'll miss him.
I remember Gary Cohen's story about his college team introducing themselves on camera with their name and fielding position. But of course fielding was always an afterthought with Murph so when it came time for his intro he went with the simple: "I'm Daniel Murphy ... and I hit third!!"

But, even though I thought Gary assessment of him last summer during a radio interview as a "net negative ... and always has been" was a bit harsh, we knew he had his faults to go with the plusses.
It's almost hard to remember now that he came back from two big-time knee injuries early in his career - one knocking out his entire 2010 season and the other cutting short his 2011. Those things aren't easy to come back from and yet it's barely a footnote with him now.

I thought he was sure to be traded in each of the last two winters - but given this year for both him and the team maybe it was better that he wasn't as he was a huge part of the 2015 season. Turns out that maybe THIS would have been the off-season to 'sell high' on him but he was no longer under control to do so and that's OK too.

Will probably end his tenure as a low-20s all-time Met (acc to the CPF rankings) -- that's assuming youse guys ever get around to submitting your rankings for this season, I guess that'll be an after the holidays deal

So long goofball, you served your time well.

[Edgy MD]

He strangely came up the same day as Nick Evans, both coming from AA, and assigned to platoon together in left field, even though neither was an outfielder. Evans looked as lost as you'd expect from a guy put in that situation, but Murphy hit everything thrown at him, and even fielded with some aplomb initially. I remember Gary astounded by his success after one big hit, having a rhetorical conversation with himself, "But can he do it in the clutch? YES! But can he do it against lefties? YES! But can he do it off the bench? YES! But can he do it day in and day out? An emphatic YES!!"

So successful was his launching that some of the faith he engendered rubbed off on Evans. And the Mets initially waited patiently for Evans' bat to come around, though it never quite did (though he put up good numbers against lefties). When Citi Field was complete and not ready to occupy, Mets execs asked three Mets to come across the street from Shea and take some batting practice: Wright, Murphy, .... and Evans. I imagine Nick Evans is somewhere reading the news of this signing, saying, "Go to Hell, Daniel Murphy!"

His fielding shortcomings in 2009 really showed me everything I'd grow despairing of in Jerry Manuel, who gave up on him in left, and then declared no intention to try him at an infield position, declaring that as off limits because it's "closer to the ball."

"If he can't play outfield, how's he going to play infield?" asked a surprisingly pigheaded Jerry, displaying not only the bias of a former infielder, but seeming ignorance that Murphy had been an infielder all through the minors. Jerry ended up cycling through every option possible for a replacement at first for an injured Carlos Delgado — including allowing Jeremy Reed to lie his way into the lineup — before finally giving Murphy a chance to give him the better part of a season of perfectly effective first-basin', which he did, along with a team-leading home run total of 12.

[Theoldmole]

Murphy was a Met.

[Guest d'Kong76]

http://archives.cranepoolforum.net/17300/f1_t17395.shtml

[bmfc1]

Running the bases "as if he thought he was invisible". His terrible World Series. His statement about homosexuality. Thanks for a great run in the playoffs but don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way to Washington.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Mostly good memories. My favorite Met for a while. He clearly worked hard and represented the organization. Glad that he got to be an All-Star.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

TheOldMole wrote: Murphy was a Met.

Says it all.

Good memory-ing from Edgy up there though.

[stevejrogers]

Murphy's Topps Base and Update cards through the years:






I'd imagine he'll pop up in the base set next year in a postseason highlight card, or two.

[Guest El Segundo Escupidor]

Lowest Liquor prices guaranteed!!!!

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Edgy MD wrote: His fielding shortcomings in 2009 really showed me everything I'd grow despairing of in Jerry Manuel, who gave up on him in left, and then declared no intention to try him at an infield position, declaring that as off limits because it's "closer to the ball." "If he can't play outfield, how's he going to play infield?" asked a surprisingly pigheaded Jerry, displaying not only the bias of a former infielder, but seeming ignorance that Murphy had been an infielder all through the minors. Jerry ended up cycling through every option possible for a replacement at first for an injured Carlos Delgado — including allowing Jeremy Reed to lie his way into the lineup — before finally giving Murphy a chance to give him the better part of a season of perfectly effective first-basin', which he did, along with a team-leading home run total of 12.

God, did 2009 suck. GAWD, did Jerry suck. (Oh, Lord of Lords, Host of Hosts, that Jeremy-Reed-at-first-base game, against the Dodgers.)

I'll remember batting practice... SO MUCH batting practice. So much batting practice that it was blamed for his slump by Jerry, who banned him from batting practice for a few days. GAAAAAAAWD, did Jerry suck.

[Benjamin Grimm]

[Ceetar]

I'll miss him. He'll be the enemy for a bit (presumably at least, unless the Nats go tailspin and he's just 'that guy on the non contender') for a guy I hope shows up again for alumni stuff down the road. He was here a while. Pretty good for most it, great team player.

Favorite Murphy story is probably that he occasionally/frequently would sign for opposing fans' kids _if_ they surrendered their own caps. There are pictures of him with a traded phillies cap in his back pocket somewhere.

[Edgy MD]

It's interesting to read how the Nats front office was split on him. Presumably there was the he-gives-back-with-his-glove-what-he-gains-with-his-bat camp and the he-seems-to-have-turned-a-corner-with-respect-to-power camp.

It's still a tough shot for a lefty to pull it out of Nationals Park, but if he can't join the 20 Homers Club, the doubles will likely keep dropping in.

[Centerfield]

He strangely came up the same day as Nick Evans, both coming from AA, and assigned to platoon together in left field, even though neither was an outfielder. Evans looked as lost as you'd expect from a guy put in that situation, but Murphy hit everything thrown at him, and even fielded with some aplomb initially. I remember Gary astounded by his success after one big hit, having a rhetorical conversation with himself, "But can he do it in the clutch? YES! But can he do it against lefties? YES! But can he do it off the bench? YES! But can he do it day in and day out? An emphatic YES!!" So successful was his launching that some of the faith he engendered rubbed off on Evans. And the Mets initially waited patiently for Evans' bat to come around, though it never quite did (though he put up good numbers against lefties). When Citi Field was complete and not ready to occupy, Mets execs asked three Mets to come across the street from Shea and take some batting practice: Wright, Murphy, .... and Evans. I imagine Nick Evans is somewhere reading the news of this signing, saying, "Go to Hell, Daniel Murphy!" His fielding shortcomings in 2009 really showed me everything I'd grow despairing of in Jerry Manuel, who gave up on him in left, and then declared no intention to try him at an infield position, declaring that as off limits because it's "closer to the ball." "If he can't play outfield, how's he going to play infield?" asked a surprisingly pigheaded Jerry, displaying not only the bias of a former infielder, but seeming ignorance that Murphy had been an infielder all through the minors. Jerry ended up cycling through every option possible for a replacement at first for an injured Carlos Delgado — including allowing Jeremy Reed to lie his way into the lineup — before finally giving Murphy a chance to give him the better part of a season of perfectly effective first-basin', which he did, along with a team-leading home run total of 12.

Great memories Edgy. Keith liked his swing from the very beginning. He called Murph "the Mets future 3 hitter". I scoffed at the idea and thought maybe Keith was displaying his bias toward high-contact, medium power guys. I'm glad he ended up being this, and for a World Series team at that.

When he first came up he seemed like a high OBP guy, but never really replicated that eye. I suspect a lot of it had to do with how little he would swing and miss. Had that stretch a few seasons ago where he went half a season or something without hitting a HR. That's ok. He was saving them for this October.

Had a terrific attitude. Never once complained no matter where they put him in the field, where they batted him in the lineup. Ended up being a far better second baseman than I ever would have thought. I'm still pissed about the year we didn't get where some asshole took him out in the minor leagues.

I will miss Murphy. But I will hate facing him 19 times.

[Guest cooby classic]

I like the little boy with the safety patrol belt card!

[Edgy MD]

That asshole was named Leonard Davis. He never ended up so much as getting a taste of MLB coffee, and was last seen playing in the indy leagues in 2013. Hitting Davis in the back the next day was Buffalo pitcher and fellow owner of a current "Memories of" thread Dillon Gee.

I believe Gee matched up against Steven Strasburg (in his final minor league tuneup) and pitched a three-hitter that day.

[Centerfield]

Edgy MD wrote: Hitting Davis in the back the next day was Buffalo pitcher and fellow owner of a current "Memories of" thread Dillon Gee. I believe Gee matched up against Steven Strasburg (in his final minor league tuneup) and pitched a three-hitter that day.

Agree or disagree with the offseason strategy as you will, but I'm a little bummed that between Murphy, Niese, and the already departed Dillon Gee, we are going to seem a lot less Metly in 2016.

Parnell too, is likely gone.

[Edgy MD]

Kirk gone also.

Tejada and Mejia follow Wright as the longest-serving dudes.

[ashie62]

I liked Danny. He bled blue. Then again I like Neil Walker better.