JAWS and the 2026 Corridor of Fame Poll: Daniel Murphy

The next article is a part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing take a look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2026 Corridor of Fame poll. For an in depth introduction to this 12 months’s poll, and different candidates within the collection, use the device above; an introduction to JAWS may be discovered right here. For a tentative schedule, see right here. All WAR figures consult with the Baseball Reference model except in any other case indicated.

Daniel Murphy was not a house run hitter. Over the course of a 12-year main league profession that was interrupted by knee accidents, he reached double digits in simply seven seasons, topping 20 homers simply twice. Like Howie Kendrick — one other Jacksonville-born second baseman debuting on this Corridor of Fame poll, one who even performed on the identical crew as Murphy in 2017–18 — the lefty-swinging, righty-throwing Murphy was identified for his distinctive bat-to-ball means. And like Kendrick, he went on a memorable, power-driven October run and received NLCS MVP honors. In 2015, he set a document by homering in six straight postseason video games, carrying the Mets to their first pennant in 15 years. Whereas it didn’t culminate in a championship, it earned him an indelible spot in postseason historical past; with out that run, he most likely wouldn’t even be on this poll.

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Daniel Thomas Murphy was born on April 1, 1985 in Jacksonville, Florida, the oldest of three kids of Tom and Sharon Murphy. Tom taught kindergarten whereas Sharon bought insurance coverage (in a single amusing anecdote, an 11-year-old Murphy declared he wished to be “an insurance coverage particular person” for his faculty yearbook). Youthful brother Jonathan (b. 1990) was a Nineteenth-round choose by the Twins in 2012 and spent three seasons as an outfielder of their minor league system.

As a baby, Murphy was undersized — “the runt of the litter,” as Little League coach Anton Dawson recalled for Time in 2015 — however he took to baseball. “He may all the time hit along with his eyes,” Mell Harris, one other one among his Little League coaches, instructed Time, referring to Murphy’s means to maintain his head down and swing by way of the ball. And he labored onerous. “If I pitched the ball to him 100 instances, he’d need 200,” mentioned Harris.

Rising up, Tony Gwynn was Murphy’s favourite participant “as a result of he was such an excellent contact hitter,” as he defined in 2015. At Englewood Excessive College, Murphy earned all-conference honors thrice, hitting .395 as a senior. He was a four-year letterman on the swim crew as properly. He didn’t go far to proceed his profession after highschool, as Jacksonville College was the one Division I program to supply him a school scholarship.

After famously introducing himself to his faculty teammates by saying, “I’m Daniel Murphy from Englewood Excessive College, and I bat third,” Murphy performed principally third base and hit for prime averages at JU. He hit .398 with six homers and 55 RBIs in 57 video games as a junior in 2006, incomes Atlantic Solar Participant of the Yr and catching the attention of Mets scout Steve Barningham, who beloved his candy swing. From NJ.com’s Mike Vorkunkov in 2014:

What drew in Barningham was not simply the ability, however Murphy’s method to hitting — a deep examine of the ability. The place Barningham would spend 5 minutes speaking to different gamers, he and Murphy may converse for a half hour on life and hitting.

“I’ve been round a number of baseball, this man, he’s pondering on one other stage,” Barningham mentioned. “Virtually an excessive amount of, to some extent the place he talks himself out of being an excellent hitter typically. He simply eats it, sleeps it, it’s all the time going by way of his thoughts every at-bat.”

Murphy was solely “a good defender [and] a fringe runner who didn’t hit for energy,” as Tim Rohan wrote for the New York Instances in 2015. Figuring out that he could be a tricky promote to normal supervisor Omar Minaya, after watching Murphy spray the ball all around the subject throughout a batting follow session, Barningham requested him to concentrate on pulling the ball. “Daniel took his subsequent 10 swings and hit eight of the balls over the lights in right-center subject. I used to be bought,” he instructed Rohan.

The Mets drafted Murphy within the thirteenth spherical, partially as a result of his modest bonus calls for. “It’s price $50,000 to seek out out if this man can scout,” vice chairman of scouting Sandy Johnson mentioned — of Barningham, that’s, as he had joined the group about seven months earlier.

Murphy signed rapidly, and cut up his first skilled season between the Mets’ rookie-level associates within the Gulf Coast and Appalachian Leagues earlier than ending the season with Low-A Brooklyn. Knee and arm accidents restricted him to DH obligation; in 25 video games, he hit simply .213/.312/.300 with two homers. He fared higher at Excessive-A Port St. Lucie in 2007, hitting .285/.338/.430 with 11 homers and rating second within the Florida State League with 143 hits, however making 35 errors in 131 video games at third base. “Footwork is the primary perpetrator, as he’s inconsistent along with his setup and has considerably restricted mobility,” wrote Baseball America whereas rating him fifteenth on the Mets’ prospect checklist in early 2008. The publication added, “He has a gentle, contact-oriented method and a brief, balanced swing. He has a really feel for RBI conditions and for transferring runners alongside… The issue is Murphy’s gap-to-gap energy doesn’t profile properly at a much less difficult place, although optimistic scouts imagine he may hit 20 homers yearly.”

Murphy spent most of 2008 at Double-A Binghamton, hitting .308/.374/.496 in 96 video games, with 13 homers and 14 steals. After a one-game cease at Triple-A New Orleans, he was referred to as as much as the Mets. With David Wright entrenched at third base, Murphy wound up in left subject, the place he had all of 4 video games of minor league expertise. He debuted on August 2, 2008 in Houston, going 1-for-4 with a single off Roy Oswalt on an 0-2 curveball in his first plate look. Per week later, he hit his first homer, a pinch-hit two-run shot off the Marlins’ Renyel Pinto. Although he added only one extra homer, he hit .313/.397/.473 (130 OPS+) with 1.3 WAR in 49 video games, even holding his personal in left subject (3 DRS) in keeping with the metrics. Alas, the Mets squandered a playoff berth by dropping six of their closing 9 video games.

The 24-year-old Murphy began 2009 because the Mets’ left fielder, however moved to first base in mid-Could when Carlos Delgado wanted surgical procedure to restore a torn proper hip labrum. Although excellent defensively (10 DRS), his offense (.266/.313/.427, 96 OPS+) was meager for the place; he produced simply 1.6 WAR in 155 video games for a 70-92 crew. His 2010 season by no means obtained off the bottom, as he sprained his proper medial collateral ligament working the bases throughout spring coaching, then performed simply 11 video games on a rehab project earlier than a takeout slide at second base — a place the place he had simply 19 video games of minor league expertise — led to an much more extreme MCL tear. Although he dodged surgical procedure, he was out for the season with out taking a single main league plate look.

Murphy made a formidable return, batting .320/.362/.448 (126 OPS+) with 2.8 WAR in 109 video games whereas bouncing across the infield; he coated first base when Ike Davis (who took over the place in 2010) was misplaced for the season as a result of an ankle harm, third base when Wright suffered a stress response in his backbone, and second base when he wasn’t wanted elsewhere, although he normally sat in opposition to lefties. Alas, on August 6, Murphy suffered a Grade 2 tear of his left MCL in a collision at second base — yet one more season-ending harm that at the least didn’t require surgical procedure.

For as clear because the hazards of the defensively-challenged Murphy taking part in the keystone had confirmed to be, the Mets determined that was the place he was finest deployed. Although he performed 156 video games in 2012 and 161 in ’13, he was a mixed 20 runs beneath common for a pair of 74-88 groups that used the sadly unproductive Davis at first base and had a no nice options in left subject both. Murphy put up a 103 OPS+ with six homers and 1.5 WAR within the former 12 months, and a 108 OPS+ with 13 homers, a career-high 23 steals, and a couple of.5 WAR within the latter.

Because the 2014 season started, Murphy missed the Mets’ first two video games to hitch his spouse as she gave delivery to the couple’s first son by way of a C-section. WFAN sports activities speak chuckleheads Mike Francesca and Boomer Esiason publicly blasted Murphy for doing so, however he weathered the criticism, and supervisor Terry Collins expressed the group’s assist, mentioning he’d missed only one recreation the 12 months earlier than. In June, Murphy accepted an invite to the White Home to talk about parental rights on the Working Households Summit. Since then, taking paternity depart — a proper included within the Collective Bargaining Settlement — has develop into way more standard and fewer controversial.

With a banged-up Wright within the midst of a subpar season on a crew certain for 79 wins, Murphy was the Mets’ sole consultant for the 2014 All-Star Recreation; he described himself as “surprised” by being chosen, and credited coach Tim Teufel for serving to him enhance at second base. A September stoop took the shine off his offensive numbers, although; he completed at .289/.332/.403 (111 OPS+) with 9 homers and a couple of.3 WAR.

Within the spring of 2015, Murphy embroiled himself in controversy when MLB’s inclusion ambassador Billy Bean — the second participant to publicly reveal that he was homosexual following his main league profession (the late Glenn Burke was first) — spent a day in a Mets uniform as a part of an outreach effort. The entrance workplace had run the concept by Murphy over the winter, and he reportedly referred to as the transfer “ahead pondering,” however his feedback in relation to Bean’s go to brought on a backlash. From NJ.com’s Mike Vorkunov:

Murphy, a religious Christian, mentioned he would embrace Bean regardless of a divergence of their beliefs.

“I disagree along with his life-style,” Murphy mentioned. “I do disagree with the truth that Billy is a gay. That doesn’t imply I can’t nonetheless spend money on him and get to know him. I don’t assume the truth that somebody is a gay ought to utterly shut the door on investing in them in a relational facet… I might say, you’ll be able to nonetheless settle for them, however I do disagree with the approach to life, one hundred pc.”

“I wouldn’t have a way of life. I didn’t select my sexuality the identical means you didn’t select yours,” wrote Jon Raj, a homosexual father and a Mets fan, in an open letter to Murphy printed on the Huffington Publish. “Second, being homosexual shouldn’t be what defines me, however fairly it is only one vital a part of who I’m. So once you say that you just disagree with who I’m, you might be additionally disagreeing with my son and my household. We’re not a way of life alternative — we’re a household.”

“After studying his feedback, I recognize that Daniel spoke his fact,” wrote Bean at MLB.com whereas lauding Murphy’s advocacy for paternity depart and stressing a necessity for persistence. “He was courageous to share his emotions, and it made me wish to work tougher and be a greater instance that sometime may permit him to view issues from my perspective, if just for only a second. I respect him, and I would like everybody to know that he was respectful of me. We now have baseball in widespread, and for now, that may be the one factor. But it surely’s a begin.” Via a crew spokesman, Murphy mentioned he would now not talk about his spiritual beliefs and would follow baseball.

With Mets hitting coach Kevin Lengthy advising him to make use of his legs extra on the plate and to focus extra on pulling the ball, he set a brand new profession excessive with 14 homers in 2015, once more filling in on the infield corners whereas scuffling defensively. Nonetheless, his common season numbers (.281/.322/.449, 111 OPS+, 1.1 WAR) hardly hinted at what was to come back. Pushed by their rotation, the Mets received 90 video games and the NL East, then confronted the Dodgers within the Division Collection. Regardless of slugging simply .349 with one homer in opposition to lefties through the common season, Murphy was within the lineup for Recreation 1 in opposition to Clayton Kershaw. Within the fourth inning of a scoreless recreation, Kershaw despatched a 2-0 fastball down Broadway, and Murphy hammered it for a 415-foot solo homer, keying a 3-1 win. He linked in opposition to Kershaw once more in Recreation 4 for the Mets’ solely run in a 3-1 loss that evened the collection. That marked the start of the house run streak.

Going through Zack Greinke — whose 1.66 ERA and eight.9 WAR had each led the Nationwide League — for Recreation 5, Murphy mashed an RBI double within the first inning. After the Mets fell behind 2-1, he led off the fourth with a single, then not solely took second on Lucas Duda’s base on balls however, noticing that no one was masking third base because of the infield shift, stole the bottom unchallenged, and scored the tying run on Travis d’Arnaud’s sacrifice fly. Murphy broke the tie within the sixth, battling Greinke to a full rely earlier than launching a low-and-away fastball for a solo homer that proved decisive.

Murphy then steamrolled the Cubs within the NLCS with homers in all 4 video games, beginning with an upper-deck solo shot off Jon Lester within the first inning of Recreation 1, adopted by a two-run poke into the precise subject nook off Jake Arrieta (who would beat out Greinke for the NL Cy Younger) within the first inning of Recreation 2. Murphy then tied Carlos Beltrán’s 2004 streak of 5 straight postseason video games with a homer by way of his third-inning solo blast of Kyle Hendricks in Recreation 3; at 421 toes, it was the longest of the bunch. In Recreation 4, having already singled twice and doubled, and with the Mets properly on their method to a sweep, Murphy claimed the document with a towering two-run homer off Fernando Rodney within the eighth inning. His .529/.556/1.294 line earned him NLCS MVP honors.

Whereas Murphy went 2-for-7 throughout a 14-inning loss to the Royals within the World Collection opener, his unlikely streak ended. After that, the Royals held him to 1-for-13 with 5 walks, successful the collection in 5 video games.

Murphy’s scorching streak was significantly well-timed, as he was poised totally free company. Viewing rookie Dilson Herrera because the inheritor obvious at second base — sure, actually — and conscious of Murphy’s limitations, the Mets let him stroll after he declined a $15.8 million qualifying supply. He signed a three-year, $37.5 million cope with the division-rival Nationals, then tormented his previous crew by hitting a ridiculous .386/.435/.700 with 9 homers in 154 plate appearances in opposition to them in 2016 and ’17. These had been his finest two seasons, as he helped the Nationals win back-to-back division titles whereas making the NL All-Star crew in each years.

In 2016, Murphy hit .347/.390/.595 with profession highs in WAR (4.7), homers (25), and doubles (a league-leading 47) whereas tying the Nationals’ franchise document for hits (184); he additionally led the NL in slugging share, ranked second in batting common, third in OPS+ (155), and seventh in on-base share. He went 7-for-16 with six RBIs in opposition to the Dodgers within the Division Collection, with 4 RBIs in a shedding trigger in Recreation 4 (two in opposition to Kershaw on an RBI single and a sacrifice fly). Making a uncommon aid look after Kenley Jansen’s 2 1/3-inning effort in Recreation 5, Kershaw induced Murphy to come out with one out and runners on first and second within the ninth inning; one Wilmer Difo strikeout later, the Nationals had been eradicated.

In 2017, after hitting .322/.384/.543 (136 OPS+) with 23 homers and three.2 WAR, Murphy went 4-for-19 in a 5 recreation Division Collection in opposition to the Cubs. He saved his finest efficiency for Recreation 5, hitting a game-tying solo homer off Hendricks within the second inning, after which an RBI double off Mike Montgomery within the sixth when the Nationals trailed by three. He led off the eighth by drawing a stroll in opposition to Wade Davis and coming round to attain to chop Chicago’s result in 9-8, however the Nationals didn’t rating once more.

After the season, Murphy underwent cartilage debridement and microfracture surgical procedure on his proper knee. His restoration lagged, and he didn’t make his season debut till June 12. When he returned, he hit .300/.341/.442 in 56 video games, however his small-sample -7 DRS knocked his WAR to -0.5 in that span. With Murphy slated to hit free company and the Nationals certain for an 82-80 season, on August 18 they despatched the second baseman and an undisclosed amount of money to the Cubs in alternate for infield prospect Andruw Monasterio. The Cubs confronted a backlash for buying Murphy when his 2015 feedback resurfaced, although each normal supervisor Jed Hoyer and board member Laura Ricketts (the primary brazenly homosexual proprietor of a serious American skilled sports activities franchise) mentioned they consulted with Bean as a part of their pre-trade due diligence, with Ricketts telling followers on the LGBTQ-themed “Out at Wrigley” occasion, “After these thought-about and considerate conversations, which befell exactly due to the Cubs’ sensitivities on the matter, I used to be on board with the commerce.”

Murphy hit .297/.329/.471 with six homers in 35 video games for the Cubs, who led the NL Central by 5 video games as of September 2. The red-hot Brewers erased that deficit, compelled a Recreation 163 tiebreaker, and beat the Cubs, bumping them right into a Wild Card slot. They misplaced the Wild Card Recreation to the Rockies, with Murphy going 0-for-4.

These Rockies signed Murphy to a two-year, $24 million deal, slotting him at first base and bumping Ian Desmond, who had been beneath substitute stage whereas masking the place in 2018, to the outfield. A fractured left index finger, suffered when Murphy jammed his hand whereas diving for a ball in his second recreation along with his new crew, price him 23 video games early within the season. When he returned, he hit .279/.329/.471 with 13 homers, a slash line superficially just like his profession numbers, however good for simply an 89 OPS+ in high-scoring Colorado. Even whereas dealing with first base properly, he was a serious drag on the offense, producing 0.7 WAR for a 91-loss crew. He was even much less productive (.236/.275/.333, 55 OPS+) through the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

In January 2021, the 35-year-old Murphy introduced his retirement. “It is a stunning recreation, and I actually simply really feel humbled and blessed that it let me bounce on the experience for somewhat bit,” he instructed SNY. But he wasn’t fairly carried out with baseball. Actually, watching Ken Burns’ nine-part Baseball documentary rekindled his need to play. After sitting out the 2021 and ’22 seasons, he signed a contract with the Lengthy Island Geese of the unbiased Atlantic League.

“I believe once you’re in it, and also you’re attempting to be as productive as you’ll be able to and pretty much as good a teammate as you may be, and a husband and a father, I underestimated simply how cool our recreation was and the way cool the blokes had been who performed earlier than me,” he mentioned on the Geese’ Fan Fest after signing. Taking part in below former Met Wally Backman, on a crew that suited up greater than a dozen ex-major leaguers together with former Mets teammate Rubén Tejada, former Nationals teammate Wilson Ramos, and 46-year-old Lew Ford, Murphy hit .331/.410/.451 in 37 video games. In June, the Angels bought his contract; after two video games with their Arizona Complicated League affiliate, he hit .288/.369/.353 in 38 video games with Triple-A Salt Lake Metropolis. In mid-August, nonetheless, he retired once more.

Of this poll’s 20 place gamers, none had as quick a profession as Murphy. But whereas Beltrán, Kendrick, and different candidates had equally spectacular Octobers, Murphy’s 2015 run earned him a spot right here, and in baseball historical past.