Daniel Murphy has hit out of the #2 spot in the Mets’ lineup throughout most of the season, but manager Terry Collins decided to shake things up today by moving up to lead-off. Murphy responded with an eighth-inning solo home run that gave the Mets a 4-3 lead. The jolt of offense seems to have motivated Collins to keep Murphy at the top.
Collins on Murphy, via ESPN’s Adam Rubin:
“He gets on base, because he can hit. And when he’s swinging good, he can get some walks. We’ve got to get some people on ahead of David [Wright]. That’s for sure.”
While it is true that Murphy can get on base -- his on-base percentage has ranged from .332 to .362 over the last three seasons -- he isn’t really someone who draws walks as his career rate is a meager 6.5 percent. Given the Mets’ dearth of options however, Murphy is one of the better players to put up there.
