Daniel Thomas Murphy (born April 1, 1985)[1] is an American professional baseball player. A right-handed fielder and left-handed hitter, he currently plays first base, second base and outfield for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball.
| Daniel Murphy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| New York Mets — No. 28 | |
| Third baseman/First baseman/Second baseman | |
| Born: April 1, 1985 (1985-04-01) (age 26)Jacksonville, Florida | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| August 2, 2008 for the New York Mets | |
| Career statistics
(through 2011) | |
| Batting average | .281 |
| Home runs | 18 |
| Runs batted in | 106 |
| Runs | 115 |
| On-base percentage | .335 |
| Slugging percentage | .429 |
| Teams | |
| |
Contents[] |
[edit] Baseball career[]
Daniel Murphy was born in Jacksonville, Florida.[1] The Mets selected Murphy out of Jacksonville University in the 13th round (394th overall) of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft.[1] He spent the entire 2007 season with the High-A St. Lucie Mets of the Florida State League.[2]
[edit] 2008[]
Murphy began the season with the Double-A Binghamton Mets.[2] On August 2, a day after being promoted to the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs, the Mets left-handed reserve outfielder Marlon Anderson was placed on the disabled list, so Murphy was called up to the majors.[3] In his first major league at bat, against three-time All-Star Roy Oswalt, Murphy hit a single. Later in the same game, he made a difficult catch against the left field wall, throwing out Hunter Pence at second base for a double play to end the inning.[4] As of August 9, 2008, Murphy was only the 5th Mets rookie to record 10 hits in his first 20 at-bats. Murphy hit his first home run in the bottom of the 6th inning against the Florida Marlins at Shea Stadium on August 9.
According to Major League Baseball rules, players are no longer considered a rookie if they have had more than 130 at-bats in a single season.[5] Murphy had 131 at-bats for the Mets during the 2008 season, thus making 2008 his rookie season by a single at-bat. He finished the season batting .313, with 2 home runs and 17 RBI.
[edit] 2009[]
Although he is a natural third baseman, Murphy began to play left field in 2008, and continued in 2009, due to the presence of David Wright on the Mets.[3] Murphy had a hard time transitioning to left field. In May, Carlos Delgado underwent hip surgery and Murphy moved to first base.[6] Murphy led the Mets in home runs, with 12. It is tied for the fewest home runs to lead a Mets team in a single season in franchise history.[citation needed]
[edit] 2010[]
On March 30, 2010 Murphy hurt his knee in a spring training game against the St.Louis Cardinals in a rundown between third base and home plate.[7] On June 2, while playing second base for the Buffalo Bisons, the Mets' Triple-A affiliate, he suffered a "high-grade" MCL tear while trying to turn a double play. Although surgery was not needed, he was expected to miss 4–6 months.[8]
[edit] 2011[]
During a game against rival Philadelphia Phillies on May 1, he was at bat when the fans at Citizens Bank Park started chanting "U-S-A!" in response to the news of the death of Osama bin Laden.[9]