Daniel Murphy has a slugging percentage of .362.
For a defensive wiz at short stop or second base, a .362 slugging percentage is acceptable. But first basemen traditionally hit for a lot of power; the average NL first baseman has a .482 slugging percentage and an .850 OPS (on base plus slugging). For the Mets starting first baseman to have a .362 slugging percentage and .676 OPS is laughable (for those who find humor in misery).
For reference, Luis Castillo is slugging .330. But at least Castillo hits enough singles and draws enough walks; his on base percentage is over 60 points higher than Murphy’s. Castillo is the ultimate light hitting middle infielder, but his OPS is a full 30 points higher than Murphy’s.
When you’d be better off with the ultimate light hitting middle infielder at first base than you are with your current first baseman, it’s time to make some changes.
And while Murphy’s defense at first is worlds better than his outfield defense, he is still very raw and prone to mistakes. Last night, he threw to third when he had almost no chance of getting the runner, when he could have taken the easy out at first. That gaffe cost the Mets a run, and maybe the game. How many games has Murphy’s defense alone now cost the Mets?
If the Mets are serious about contending this season, they just cannot continue to go forward with this experiment. Send Murphy down so he can learn to play whatever position they want him to play (personally, I don’t think he’ll ever have the power bat to be an above average first baseman) and so he can become a patient, competent hitter again.
But this team cannot afford to have a starter who cannot hit or field, especially at a position where both hitting and fielding are easiest to find.
Pete Lappin (3)
