9 years in the past right this moment, Daniel Murphy was launched to the media as the latest member of the Washington Nationals, after agreeing to a three-year $37.5 million contract. The deal could be extra profitable than any Nats fan may have imagined on the time. Murphy would remodel himself into the most effective hitters in baseball through the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Murphy was not the Nationals first selection, in reality he was removed from it. The primary possibility was veteran Ben Zobrist. Nonetheless, Zobrist ended up becoming a member of the Cubs on a four-year $56 million deal. The following possibility was longtime Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips. This deal was very near taking place, however Phillips refused to waive his no-trade clause.
Lastly, the Nationals pivoted to Murphy, who they ended up signing. Murphy had raised his inventory massively throughout a monster postseason run, the place his seven residence runs led the Mets to an NL pennant. There have been some issues on the time about whether or not the postseason run had overinflated Murphy’s worth, however the Nats ended up pulling the set off.
It ended up being a really clever transfer, as Murphy’s playoff efficiency was an indication of issues to return, moderately than an aberration. Murphy had been a great hitter with the Mets, however didn’t possess quite a lot of energy. Nonetheless, he had made some tweaks to his swing with future Nationals hitting coach Kevin Lengthy that unlocked some further energy.
With these tweaks, Murphy would have the most effective hitting seasons in Nationals historical past in 2016. He was in a stream state that was simply particular to observe. It felt like he obtained a number of hits each sport throughout some components of the season. Murphy put up absurd numbers in his first season in DC. He posted a ridiculous .347/.390/.595 triple slash line, with a NL main .985 OPS. Murphy hit a profession excessive 25 residence runs and 47 doubles.
Particularly, he completely terrorized his former group that season. In 2016, Murphy hit .414, with seven residence runs and a 1.218 OPS in opposition to the Mets. Each time he got here to the plate, Murphy was out to show that the Mets made an terrible resolution to let him stroll. Murphy’s particular season led to an All-Star look, a Silver Slugger, and a second place end in MVP voting.
Whereas he didn’t attain the identical breathtaking heights in 2017, Murphy remained the most effective hitters within the Nationwide League. Murphy posted a powerful .928 OPS, with 23 residence runs, 43 doubles, and a .322 batting common. He remained a menace in opposition to the Mets, hitting .354 with a 1.040 OPS in opposition to them. Murphy was as soon as once more an All-Star, and Silver Slugger in 2017.
By 2018, accidents and getting old started to sluggish Murphy down. With the Nationals having a disappointing season, Murphy was shipped off to the Cubs. This marked the tip of his fantastic tenure as a Nationwide.
That two yr stretch was some of the dominant I’ve ever seen from a Nationwide. Murphy had the sweetest swing I’ve seen from a Nationwide. He may make contact with every part, and will drive pitches he had no enterprise attending to. Murphy may activate inside pitches, whereas utilizing the entire area. It was actually a pleasure to observe. When Daniel Murphy was on the plate, it was like watching an artist.
