…to me, this is a positive… i see a young hitter, who skipped Triple-A, who started hot, had to adjust to big-league pitchers who adjusted to him, and who has stabilized and is holding his own in a lineup with no support, on a team that cannot be easy to play for these days… but, i understand how some people see a guy who will always be a shade below what is necessary from a power position like first base…

In a report for the New York Times, Ben Shpigel explains, “With Delgado out, the Mets can play Murphy every day, continuing to evaluate how he fits - and even if he fits - into next year’s plans.”

Meanwhile, in a post to Mets Today, Joe Janish looks at The Murphy Myth, saying he may be more Matt Franco than Mark Grace.

“It’s time to start seeing Murphy for what he is, rather than placing unreasonable expectations upon him,” Janish concludes.

…first of all, i liked Mark Grace as a player, i can’t read his name and not think of the parody to the tune of Amazing Grace, which went, ‘Amazing Grace, he played first base.’…

…second, that’s a good range, Mr. Janish: franco and grace… because, grace’s typical line of .300, 12 HR, 50 strikeouts, and 80 RBI is probably murphy’s ceiling, though murph is not likely to ever win a Gold Glove to make up for the lack of punch… or, he’ll drift and end up being a franco type, i.e., .270 or so against right-handed pitching, but capable against lefties, mostly a bench player who is good at moving runners over, while eventually playing multiple infield positions…

…snazzy play… credit for parnell, too… again, murphy reacts well, he has strong baseball instincts, and seems to struggle most on plays when he has time to think… that said, it looked like loretta was safe on the re-play…

By the way, Murphy had two doubles last night.

…he hit the ball hard in all four at bats, and seems to be turning on the inside fastball again, like he was when he was hitting well earlier in the year…

To watch Murphy’s behind-the-back, no-look pass to Parnell, click play:

Magadan’s best season for the Mets was in 1990, when he hit .328 with 40 extra base hits and 72 RBI, while striking out just 55 times in 144 games.

…i believe murphy can develop slightly more power than magadan, turning him in to a player more like John Olerud, i.e., .320, 15 to 20 HR, 30 or so doubles and no more than 80 strike outs… however, magadan is an interesting comparison…

…by the way, i am very impressed with murph’s defense at first base… in general, the kid is quick… he has quick wrists, he reacts fast to the ball, be it in the box or in the field… it seems like he’s more likely to goof up when he has time to think, i.e., set up under a pop up, judge a line drive, set and throw, etc.… however, when it comes to instant reaction, i.e., turning on an inside fastball, or picking a hot, short hopper to first, he’s pretty slick… much like magadan and olerud…

…pineiro was rocking a nasty slider, and was seemingly always ahead in the count… the Mets just kept topping it over and over again, all night… in fact, of the 29 batters the Mets sent to the plate, 21 hit the ball on the ground… incredible… i mean, he put on a ground-ball clinic, basically, and i hope Mike Pelfrey was watching…

“I know I’m going to throw the sinker,” Pineiro said, as quoted by the Post-Dispatch.  “If I have that pitch working, it’s going to make the slider better, the changeup better… That’s what Dave Duncan says before every game, ‘Have a good sinker. Keep it down.’”

…exactly… did you get that, mike…

“The sinker, that’s what he threw, here it is, hit it,” Daniel Murphy explained to reporters after the game.  “And we didn’t do a very good job.  I know personally, I didn’t.  I had four ABs that looked just like each other, and not in a good way… We just didn’t attack him the right way today.”

Following the game, David Wright said:

“When you’ve got a sinker-ball guy, who’s throwing the ball where he wants to and keeping it down, it’s tough to elevate and really tough to do a lot with… It’s tough to make adjustments when he’s got a game plan and he’s sticking to it, and he’s executing it… There’s nothing we could have done more other than try to find some holes, and that wasn’t happening tonight… When a sinker-ball pitcher is on you beat it in to the ground and hope for the best.”

…the Mets had a tough time against pineiro in April, too, as he executed the same game plan then… so, clearly, the Mets have a hard time with this guy… add him to the list of Mets Killers…

In case you missed last night’s game…

Click here, to watch SNY.TV’s Post Game Extra from last night’s loss to the Cardinals, featuring clips from the game; quotes from Jerry Manuel, and analysis from Ron, Keith and Gary.

“You have to have confidence to hit, but to get hits, you have to be confident,” Murphy said, as quoted by the New York Times.

…actually, i think i read that on a fortune cookie once…

…seriously, though, he’s being more aggressive… he had been taking so many pitches, and missing tons of opportunities, then he’d swing, connect on a crappy pitch, and end up grounding out… he’s making contact… even in his slumps, he’s not striking out at a ridiculous rate… he just wasn’t swinging at good pitches… now he is… i hope it continues…

Murphy also made an error in with two outs in the ninth inning on a ground-ball from Christian Guzman, and had trouble picking up a low throw from Ramon Martinez in the first inning.

Following the game, Murphy told reporters that Jerry Manuel essentially banned him from taking extra batting practice in the indoor batting cages this week.

…man, he does love the cage… in spring training, he was in that sucker every time i walked by… and, in the few times i have walked by the cage in Citi Field, i’ve seen him in there or hanging around the cage a ton too…

…from what i understand, manuel believes muprhy’s slump could be the result of overworking in the cage, which is not all that uncommon for young players, who are used to a different workload and rhythm in the minor leagues…

Murphy had just one hit in his previous 16 at bats, during which he’s batting average dropped roughly 10 points.

He’s now hitting .262 with 17 RBI on the season.

…i am not sure why people forget he’s just 24 years old, and still has less than 300 at bats for his career… he’s learning, not just about major league pitching, but he’s learning the pace of the game, how to manage his body and stay strong over the course of a long season, complete with coastal flights and odd game times, etc… as a fan, i tend to take that stuff for granted, i just expect these guys to hit, period, end of story… but, the reality is, they’re kids, growing, learning, adjusting, etc., and doing it at a level of play they’re not entirely used to… it takes time… this is not t o say he should be allowed to strike out every at bat for three weeks, i mean, the team has to win too…

Prior to last night’s game, Jerry Manuel told reporters Murphy will not play the outfield again, admitting the entire experiment may have been a mistake from the start.

Instead, Murphy will start at first base each of the three games in Boston, at which point the team will evaluate his progress.

Manuel told reporters Murphy was elated and released by news that he would be giving up the outfield for first base, saying, “His reaction surprised me… He just lit up, and had a big smile on his face.”

According to the Daily News, Murphy responded by saying he will only be relieved when the team wins a pennant.

…excellent response… in other words, he means business…

However, Murphy was hitless in four at bats, including two strike outs, which dropped his batting average to .263.

“My night was incomplete,” said Murphy, who hit in to an inning-ending double play with two men on in the third.  “There’s no excuses.”

By the way, Oh Murph is giving away an autographed baseball signed by Murphy, see their sidebar for details.

Prior to tonight’s game, Jerry Manuel told reporters he will no longer use Daniel Murphy in the outfield.

Murphy will start at first base tonight, as well as all three games in Boston, to determine if he’s capable of being the team’s short-term solution during the absence of Carlos Delgado.

…in other words, i fear that if murphy is a bust on defense at first, or at least not better than Fernando Tatis, he could be looking at a trip to Triple-A, where he’ll be challenged to learn first base for the future...

Original Post:

Daniel Murphy will start at first base tonight.

…well, it’s about damn time… this is not to say murphy will be the first baseman of the future, but there is only one way to find out…

In his weekly interview with WFAN, Jerry Manuel essentially said Murphy may need to succeed at first base in order to stay in the lineup, since he now must turn to Ryan Church, Carlos Beltran and Gary Sheffield to be his everyday outfield given the absence of Carlos Delgado’s bat in the lineup.

Update, 7:00 pm:

Jose Reyes will bat leadoff tonight and play shortstop, followed in order by Luis Castillo, Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Murphy, Ryan Church, Ramon Castro, Angel Pagan in left field, and Livan Hernandez on the mound.

He said the same thing to reporters a few days ago, as did Omar Minaya yesterday in a conference call.

Yet, despite what he keeps saying, Manuel repeatedly starts Jeremy Reed at first base instead.

Murphy is batting just .190 in his last 42 at bats, but he is also striking out less and walking more during that time.  In other words, he’s making contact, he’s just not getting hits.

Regardless, Murphy may or may not be a better defensive first baseman than Reed.  Who knows?  What I do know is that Reed is significantly better than Murphy on defense in left field.  So, by putting Reed at first and Murphy in left, Manuel is weakening his defense in two spots.  Whereas Murphy at first, and either Reed or Angel Pagan in left, he’s only weakening his defense in one spot, while keeping Murphy’s bat and attitude in the lineup.

In other words, Manuel has to start playing Murphy at first base, especially this weekend in Boston.  He cannot be challenged to learn the Green Monster, all while Reed has played 10 games in Fenway Park during his six-year career.

The other thing is, Manuel must also create a new sense of stability, which I believe will help quiet the mental mistakes and general confusion that has infected the defense and lineup.

Seriously, Manuel’s actions and words of one day seem to have no connection to his actions and words the next day.  This can have an affect on the team’s trust in him, but also can negatively impact how each player prepares for the next game, and reviews his mistakes from the past.

Please, let Murphy play the next 40 or so games at first base, during which the Mets play nine games in the American League where Manuel can also use the DH.

In July, the Mets will have a better read on where Carlos Delgado is in his rehab – it will also coincidence with the trade market heating up, allowing Minaya to make an educated and honest decision on whether to trade for a player like Jermaine Dye or Magglio Ordonez for left field, or a Nick Johnson or Aubrey Huff for first, or to keep his prospects altogether, or use them to acquire a pitcher instead.

“I don’t think Murphy is swinging quite as well right now,” Manuel explained to reporters following last night’s game.  “It’s probably mechanical and fundamental right now for him not playing on a consistent basis like he’d like to be.”

So, if Murphy is struggling because he isn’t playing, Jerry, maybe he should play more.

Murphy had a nine-game hitting streak, during which he hit .333, but since has started just three out of the team’s eight games, during which he is hitless in 17 at bats.

From what I can gather, the Mets plan to start Murphy at first base during the next few games, while also using Jeremy Reed and Fernando Tatis.  Meanwhile, Carlos Delgado will travel to Vail, CO, to meet with a hip specialist today.

I believe the team is already looking around the league to identity players available in trade, as well as on the free-agent market, who could slot in to the middle of the lineup should Delgado need surgery.  The Mets will go with the current roster if they’re confident Delgado is only in need or rest.  However, I sense they’re preparing for the worst.

In the trade market, Omar Minaya will have options, in that he can look for a left fielder and move Murphy to first; or, Minaya can leave Murphy in left field, and acquire a first baseman.