Washington Nationals: Where Daniel Murphy Ranks Among NL East 2nd Basemen

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Jul 7, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets second baseman Neil Walker (20) forces out Washington Nationals left fielder Jayson Werth (28) and throws to first to attempt a double play during the ninth inning at Citi Field. The umpires called a double play on the play when Werth slid past the base, taking out Walker. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Neil Walker (NYM)

2016 stats: .282/.347/.476, 23 home runs, 55 RBI’s, three stolen bases in 113 games

This offseason, the Mets offered Walker the qualifying offer of one year, $17.2 million and he chose to accept it. There’s a little bit of uncertainty around Walker since he had to undergo back surgery in September last year.

Before the back injury, Walker had 15 home runs in the first half of the season. Out of those 15 home runs, nine of them came in the month of April when he hit .307 with 19 RBI’s. As Murphy was doing well for the Nats, the Met fan was equally pleased with Walker to start off the year.

Over the last four seasons, Walker has hit 16 home runs or more in each year. Plus, he has been at least a two win player if you go by WAR in every season since 2011 (according to Baseball Reference).

Defensively, Walker is an upgrade over what the Mets used to have in Murphy. He has zero runs saved (according to Fangraphs), so he is not going to be one of those players that will cost his team a game because of his defense.

With the Mets relying on power to score runs last season, Walker is of high value to their team. If he can stay healthy and the back problem doesn’t persist, he could easily be a top two player at this position in the division. New York brings back the same lineup as last season as of right now, so they will need the 31-year-old (turns 32 in September) to have another 15-20 home run season.

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