Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy has picked up right where he left off after a historic 2016. After his red-hot start to 2017, there’s little doubt that he is one of the game’s elite hitters.
Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Daniel Murphy? The Washington Nationals second baseman comes as a bit of a surprise when mentioned in the tier of the game’s best hitters. However, it’s certainly warranted.
After all, the 32-year-old finished second in the Most Valuable Player voting just a season ago, falling to Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant.
In any other season, Murphy would have been a shoe-in for the award, as the second baseman finished with a ridiculous line of .347/.390/.595 and a .985 OPS.
On average throughout his seven years with the Mets, Murphy hit .292 with nine home runs per season. Once he departed in free agency to the NL East rival Nationals, though, he put on the afterburners.
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Twelve games and 53 at-bats into the 2017 season, Murphy looks ready to take home not just All-Star honors but potentially an MVP. He’s currently hitting for a .396 average and a 1.049 OPS. He currently has seven doubles, good enough for second best in the league.
Even better, he’s on pace to again keep his strikeout numbers low, as the righty has been punched out just four times on the young season. In addition to the low strikeout totals, Murphy has already driven in 10 runs.
On a Nationals team where both Trea Turner and Stephen Drew are on the disabled list, Murphy’s dependability is something that cannot go unnoticed.
As the team’s cleanup hitter, he has provided invaluable pop in an already loaded lineup that features Harper, Adam Eaton, and Anthony Rendon.
His manager, Dusty Baker, even compared the slugger to the legendary Tony Gwynn on ESPN.com.
"“I was reading an article on Murphy, and he said Tony Gwynn was his idol,” Nats manager Dusty Baker said. “Well, when a guy goes to the opposite field with authority, that’s hard to teach. That’s vintage Tony Gwynn.”"
With comparisons to one of the most consistent players of all time, it’s safe to say expectations are high.
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Even though the 2017 season is young, Murphy appears to be the leader for the NL MVP award. Of course, things can and will change by the time voting comes around, but if he can come close to what he did last season, he may just win it.