A longer than usual excerpt from a very good article but for an important point. My causes always seem better when voiced by others.
And while Murphy clearly makes his share of head-scratching plays, his overall defensive play at second base has been fairly strong, as per defensive metrics. That isn’t an argument that he is definitely an above-average second baseman, defensively. But it certainly isn’t an argument against it. I’d call it: Merits Further Study. Which means, play Murphy at 2B.
Terry Collins made a great point during last night’s press conference: Murphy didn’t play in 2010 due to injury, then has been asked to play three separate positions in 2011. The surest way to make Daniel Murphy a more competent defensive player is to give him reps at one position. And that position should be second base. See how all the separate threads lead to a single conclusion? Me too.
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What I wouldn’t do is keep shifting Murphy around. It obviously isn’t working defensively, and works against the team’s long-term needs and what is best for Murphy. This seems like an oversight on par with previous administrations, which is why it is so shocking to see from Sandy Alderson, who has calibrated nearly everything with total precision. I’d love to know what else is factoring into the organization’s thinking here, and will report back to you once I find out.