Washington Nationals: Daniel Murphy's Return Vital to Playoff Run

The Washington Nationals are hoping to have Daniel Murphy back for the start of the NLDS. The star second baseman could help determine just how far the team advances this year.

The Washington Nationals aren’t going to have Daniel Murphy for the regular season’s final weekend, but manager Dusty Baker is confident the second baseman will be ready for the club’s first playoff game. He might get a pinch-hit appearance or some intrasquad action over the next few days, which could go a long way toward helping him shake off some rust before the start of the postseason. Murphy has been dealing with a strained left glute muscle.

“We’re shooting for him to be ready on the seventh,” Baker said. “He might get a pinch-hit, but I don’t want to take him backwards. We’ll probably have an intrasquad game or something to get him some live pitching.” October 7 is the scheduled date of the Nationals’ first game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series.

Murphy hasn’t started a game since September 17, though he did make cameo appearances on the 19th and 20th. His loss is a significant one for Washington in light of how well he has been performing this year. The 31-year-old owns a .347/.391/.596 slash line along with 25 home runs and 104 RBI. He leads the NL with 47 doubles and a .987 OPS, and his batting average is second behind the Rockies’ DJ LeMahieu (.349).

Murphy has been something of a dark horse MVP candidate this season, and although Kris Bryant of the Cubs seems like the odds-on favorite to win the award, the Nationals second baseman should still receive some consideration at year’s end.

Washington has faltered somewhat in Murphy’s absence, going 5-6 since the 17th of the month. While that’s somewhat of a small sample size to draw any firm conclusions, all would agree that Murphy is a weapon the Nats definitely want to have in their lineup for the postseason. Look no further than his miraculous October run with the Mets last year to see why.

In 14 playoff games in 2015, Murphy slashed .328/.391/.724 with an eyebrow-raising seven homers. He was named MVP of the NCLS and played an integral role in propelling the Mets to their World Series matchup with the Royals. Murphy’s superhuman postseason was largely what made him such a coveted free agent the following winter.

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The three-year, $37.5 million deal issued by the Nationals seemed like somewhat of a gamble for a player who up until that point had been rather average in his career. But Murphy has made such thoughts seem silly with his impressive 2016 numbers.

The Nats have racked up 93 wins with three to play, and they have sewn up the NL East division crown after last year’s disappointing collapse. But the fact of the matter is that they will likely need some more heroics from Murphy if they want to ride this train all the way to the Fall Classic.

They just lost one of their main offensive contributors in catcher Wilson Ramos to a torn ACL. Not to mention that reigning MVP Bryce Harper (who’s been dealing with his own injury issues of late) has had something of a downcast season by his standards. Rookie Trea Turner will help, as he has managed an admirable .336/.357/.550 batting line since making his debut.

This isn’t exactly a normal year in the National League postseason landscape, with the Chicago Cubs at 101 victories and expected by many to stroll their way to the World Series. If the Nationals want to challenge that narrative and launch a deep playoff run themselves, they will need a little something extra.

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Getting Murphy back could provide that. A repeat of last year’s incredible postseason performance is probably too much to hope for, but something in that vein could still help tip the balance of power.

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