|
| Keep him in left and hope he learns
|
If Carlos Delgado has to go on the disabled list, Daniel Murphy may be manning first base:
Jerry Manuel said Tuesday that if Carlos Delgado does land on the DL, Daniel Murphy could end up playing first base. The logic: Manuel then could ensure getting Gary Sheffield's bat in left field to try to offset the loss of Delgado. Murphy played 13 games at first base with Double-A Binghamton last season, but otherwise has not seen action at the position since being drafted.
I'm struggling to think who this will be good for besides fantasy owners hoping their guy qualifies at another position. Murphy is, to put it charitably, a work in progress in left field, and contrary to popular belief, first base is not a position just anyone can play. It takes some counter-intuitive footwork and the ability to multitask (i.e. find bag with foot while catching ball), both of which are things Murphy has shown no sign of possessing. Regardless, it seems like a bad idea to mess with his defensive chi in such a fashion.
Also, why would the Mets want to make a point of ensuring that Sheffield's bat gets in the lineup? Sheffield is hitting .178/.351/.333. Fernando Tatis, who can actually play a little first base, is hitting .333/.400/.500. In light of this and the defensive considerations, wouldn't you rather have Murphy-Tatis in left and at first respectively as opposed to Sheffield-Murphy?
Not that the Mets have ever done a ton of things that make sense.
Leave a Comment:
Saving...
I don't understand Manuel's use of his fielders at all lately. He had Alex Cora playing 1B last night in a close game with only one game of recent experience at the position (though he is a good defensive player in general). The strangest part was he was wearing a normal infielder's glove! It worked out, but still it was strange. I think given Church's struggles, if Murphy can actually play 1B the Mets could play Reed in RF and Tatis in LF, to sure up their defense. In no scenario does it make sense to play Sheff at all right now.
Even though Murphy has played most of his career at third base, he did play some first base last year and second base as well. My guess is that the Mets look to let Delgado go next year, move Murphy to first. Murphy is not good in the outfield - moving to him first is not going to diminish his ability to play left. I am curious though as to why Sheffield gets to start over Tatis. I can only assume that the Mets believe that regular work will get Sheff's power bat going...
And the Cora at first thing was weird...
Contrary to popular perception Murphy has been a very good defensive LF, with very good range. A few spectacular failures don't tell the whole story.