Three times All-Star and MVP of the 2015 National League Daniel Murphy is retiring from baseball after a 12-year Major League career, he told Andy Martino of SNY.
“This is a beautiful game, and I really feel humble and blessed to have allowed me to jump a little bit in the race,” said Murphy to Martino. “It’s beautiful. He can teach you many things. And all I can say is, thank you.” Mets fans, in particular, will want to read Martino’s interview for dozens of quotes, stories and reflections on his time in Nova York, as well as additional thoughts from the teammate and captain David Wright.
The choice of the Mets in the 13th round in 2006, Murphy made his MLB debut just two years later, at the age of 23. He solidified a spot in the Mets squad with a strong showing in 2008 and 2009, but a sprained knee at the end of Spring Training 2010 and a subsequent torn MCL suffered in a Triple-A rehab restriction later that year wiped out his entire 2010 campaign.
Murphy returned to the field in 2011 and had his best year, reaching 0.320 / 0.362 / 0.448 in 423 trips to the plate. His offense in the years that followed took a step back, but he established himself as an above average collaborator, able to see time in various positions. At the end of the 2015 season, however, as the Mets headed towards the postseason, Murphy took his game to new heights. He managed 10 home runs after the All-Star break while hitting 0.285 / .318 / .500 on 280 trips to the plate, but he saved the best for a legendary post-season race that brought the Mets to the edge of a championship.
At 30 at the time, Murphy was a man on fire that October. He appeared in all 14 Mets games and posted a combined .328 / .391 / .724 hitting line, hitting seven home runs and a pair of doubles, scoring 13 runs and hitting 11. Incredibly, Murphy scored six goals consecutive playoff games during that Herculean performance – including a green light, sixth entry Zack Greinke in game 5 of the decisive NLDS and one in all four games of the Mets NLCS scan over the Cubs. Wright told Martino that Murphy’s 2015 postseason was “one of the most impressive things I have ever witnessed on a baseball field.”
Murphy took advantage of that brilliant postseason effort for a three-year contract with the Nationals, and although the club only won the World Series after he left, it was not Murphy’s fault. He had his best season in 2016, his first year with the Nats, reaching 0.347 / 0.390 / 0.595 on his way to second place in the National League MVP vote. He hit .329 / .380 / .550 in his two and a half seasons with the Nats before being traded to the Cubs (and continuing to rake) – more than justifying the $ 37.5 million price of his contract.
Thereafter, Murphy would sign a two-year contract to serve as the Rockies’ first primary base, but the injuries took their toll during his time in Colorado. Murphy suffered a significant fracture in his finger after just two games and, although he was expected to lose at least a month at the time, he returned to the team just four weeks later. Murphy waved a hot stick at first, but it seemed clear that the hand was bothering him; his rate of hard strokes and exit speeds dropped precipitously that year, and his power was not close to maximum levels, despite playing at home at Coors Field. Murphy posted a .279 / .328 / .452 line throughout that year, and he followed up with a .236 / .275 / .333 line displayed in 40 games on the shortened 2020 schedule.
Altogether, Murphy is three times All-Star, NLCS MVP and twice Silver Slugger with a second MVP on his resume. He played in a dozen MLB seasons, reaching a total of .296 / .341 / .455 with 1,572 hits, 178 home runs, 371 doubles, 29 triples, 68 stolen bases, 710 scheduled runs and 735 driven runs. Murphy has attacked in eight more home runs and an only shy OPS of 1,000 in 25 postseason matches split between Mets, Nats and Cubs.