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Washington Nationals Player Of The Week (4/4-4/10) – Daniel Murphy

By Ricky Keeler

Apr 7, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy (20) hits a three run RBI triple against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy (20) hits a three run RBI triple against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Each week, we will be awarding a Nats Player Of The Week. Our first recipient of the week is Daniel Murphy

Even though the Washington Nationals only played in four games this week because of inclement weather on Saturday, that still gave us enough games to hand out our first player of the week award for the 2016 season.

While there were many candidates that the award could have gone to players such as Bryce Harper (5-for-13, two home runs, three RBI’s), Max Scherzer (seven innings, two runs on three hits, and seven K’s on Opening Day) or Joe Ross (seven innings, one run on five hits, five strikeouts in a win today), this week’s player of the week award goes to Daniel Murphy.

In the four games played this week, Murphy went 6-for-13 (.462) with one home run, two runs scored, and five RBI’s, which were two more than any other Nats player. The former Mets’ second baseman had his week defined by the dramatic hits he had in two of the four games.

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On Opening Day, it was Murphy’s 10th inning double against Eric O’Flaherty that got the Nats their first victory against the Braves. In that game, he went 2-for-3 with a home run (solo shot to deep center in the fourth), two RBI’s, and two walks.

Then, on Thursday during the Nats’ home opener, with the team down 3-0 and having the bases loaded with two outs in the first inning, Murphy hit a bases clearing triple off the wall in right that tied the game up at three.

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While his knack for the clutch hit was impressive this week, the one stat that stood out to me was his plate discipline. Through three games, the 31-year-old left-hander saw a total of 74 pitches over the course of 18 plate appearances, which included 25 on Opening Day and 22 on Thursday. Plus, he had five walks, which is tied with Harper for the most on the team.

During this week’s games, Murphy had one bad defensive play when he failed to turn a double play in the ninth inning against the Braves on Wednesday, but it didn’t cost the Nationals any runs.

Next: Recap: Ross Impresses In 4-2 Win Over Marlins

Through one week in the Nation’s Capital, Murphy has made a good first impression on the Nats with his clutch hitting and his ability to work the count and draw walks behind either Ryan Zimmerman or Harper in the lineup, like he was this afternoon. Despite his shaky defense, it’s safe to say Murphy is going to be one of the better contact hitters in this lineup all season long.

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