Washington Nationals: Daniel Murphy Has a Setback, Concern Growing?
Daniel Murphy has been the best offensive player on the Washington Nationals for this entire year, and is a serious candidate for NL MVP. However, he is not currently responding well to treatment on his leg, and his short-term future is in question. How concerned should the Nationals be?
On Saturday, star infielder Daniel Murphy slid into second base and hurt his leg. Five days later, things do not seem to be looking all too good for the Washington Nationals best hitter in 2016. It was not long ago that the Nationals learned they will most likely be without one of the better pitchers in the National League in Stephen Strasburg for the entire postseason. Now with the possibility Murphy will be gone too, it seems just plain cruel.
We all know that every team suffers injuries, but the Nationals look to be getting hit hard at the wrong time. The 31 year-old Murphy has been a consistent force in the middle of the Nationals lineup since opening day. Prior to the injury, Murphy hit for an outstanding .347 batting average, in addition to hitting 25 balls out of the park. His WAR is an exceptional 4.6 and he’s clearly shown that his historic postseason last year was no fluke.
Without their all-star second baseman, the Nationals lineup looks much different. Trea Turner, Wilson Ramos and a slumping Bryce Harper look to be the only potent hitters in the Nationals batting order. While these guys, along with the likes of Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman and Danny Espinosa is no walk in the park, it absolutely puts more pressure on Max Scherzer and Tanner Roark to continue to put up elite outings.
If Murphy can return for the postseason, Nationals fans would feel much better about their chances of potentially knocking off the Cubs. But at this point, a speedy recovery may be asking a bit too much, especially when you look at Dusty Baker‘s comments on the Murphy injury.
"“I’m sure the world would like to know [what’s wrong with Murphy],” Baker told reporters on Wednesday. “Our trainers are still working on him. They are trying to get to the bottom of it. When you are hurt this late in the season, you don’t have a bunch of time to come back. We have some hands working on him.”"
(Quote from ESPN)
This kind of talk should not make any Nationals fan feel good about the current situation. Either Murphy’s injury has baffled doctors or Dusty Baker is one of the MLB’s best schemers. Fans are obviously hoping that it is the latter. Working under the assumption that Murphy will not be 100 percent for the playoffs, it is clear that the Nationals would need other players to start picking up the slack in the remaining regular season games and into October if the club hopes to do some serious damage.
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Who that breakout player could be is anyone’s best guess. If Murphy does indeed not return as an everyday player in the postseason, put me down for Trea Turner switching to second base and Ben Revere holding down center field.
Turner was an infielder coming up through the minor leagues, and while it seems unproductive to move him from a spot where he’s been so successful, this would give the Nationals the best club they could throw out there. Revere has been a letdown after the Nats traded for him this offseason. But he does bring some dynamic speed into the question whenever he gets on base. Hopefully, it doesn’t come to this and the Nats skipper is just simply playing some games with the rest of the league. However, the skipper did mention that he would like to see other players step up in Murphy’s absence if only to ease his concerns for a worst case scenario.
"“Daniel has been carrying us most of the season, so now it’s time for some of the other guys to step up during Daniel’s absence and not depend on Daniel being here,” Baker said."
(Quote from ESPN)
Washington is talented enough to still win a series in October, even without their stud second baseman. However, I have my reservations about them beating Chicago without their best hitter in the lineup. For the sake of Nationals fans everywhere, hopefully this is just a minor setback in a soon-to-be Murphy return. If not, most would agree that it’s extremely difficult to overcome injuries to a duo of premier players come playoff time.
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Should the Nationals be concerned with Murphy’s injury? What’s the club’s postseason upside without their best hitter? Share your thoughts in the comments below.