Daniel Murphy's Slump

Murphy just had an 0-16 run with 7 strikeouts. Reviving comparisons to Jeff Duncan. In Duncan’s first 35 at bats he showed that he was a guy who could draw walks, bunt for hits, and get lucky finding some holes. The other teams adjusted. They brought the third baseman in, threw strikes, and waited for his luck to reverse. That was it for Jeff Duncan. Similarly, teams have adjusted to Murphy. They’re no longer treating him like a rookie who’ll chase bad pitches. They know he’s a very patient hitter who hits the ball hard the other way. So they’ve adjusted, throwing him strikes, and pitching him more inside. But I have a lot more confidence that Murphy can adjust back. Like Duncan, he’s showed that he can take a lot of pitches. Unlike Duncan, he’s showed that he can hit with authority up the middle and to the other side. Now the question is can he jump out early in the count, and make pitchers pay for fastballs on the inside part of the plate. In the first half of this season, as a 22-year-old in AA he showed he can hit for average and power. I don’t have the spray chart, but I have to assume a lot of the homers were pulled. His game winning double into the right field corner off Brad Lidge last night was a thing of beauty on so many levels. So I know it’s still far too early to tell on Murphy, but I remain quite bullish that he’s going to turn into the real deal. He’s very likely to get a spot on the 2009 roster. At the very least as a guy who can fill in at 2nd, 3rd, the outfield, and as a pinch hitter. I think it’s more likely he’ll be starting at Citi Field next year, at least against righties, either at second base or in left field. And where he starts may depend more on his teammates than it does on him.

Tagged as: Daniel Murphy