Washington Nationals Fantasy Outlook 2017: Daniel Murphy
Can the Washington Nationals Daniel Murphy repeat his amazing 2016? If you think he can then you have to get him on your fantasy team!
Believe me I am just as big of Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy as anyone, but I am worried and you should be too. I am worried about injuries and it is really making me think before I draft him this year in fantasy baseball.
Murphy dealt with a hamstring/buttocks injury in late-2016 and the man himself said that this injury could be recurring.
Take a look at this man’s swing. Yes it is one of the most beautiful in the game, but he relies so much on his lower half and any injury could change his swing. If there is any recurring injury to his lower half in 2017 we could be looking at something that could hurt the Nats and your fantasy team.
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One place I am not too worried about Murphy is the stats area. Murphy has always been a good hitter and he found something special in his swing during the 2015 postseason. His home run numbers may drop as he has never hit over 20 home runs in a season prior to 2016.
On the other hand, he’s only had one season with a batting average below .280, his second season in the league. Murphy is in the league because he is a professional hitter. In the last four years, Murphy’s lowest doubles total was 37. That would’ve put him 23rd in the league in 2016. He actually finished second with 47 doubles in 2016.
Once again, this leads back to the fact that he is a pure hitter. Thankfully defense isn’t something that us fantasy players worry about and we are only really focused on the hitting.
This is the first player in this Washington Nationals Fantasy Baseball series that I have been on the fence about. On one hand, Murphy fills in most statistics that fantasy baseball players care about but, on the other, he has one on the most under the radar yet most concerning injuries out there.
According to Fantasy Pros average draft position, Murphy is going 42nd and that is what really solves this for me. He is actually going a little later then I would’ve guessed and, at that position, I would take him.
Before the 40s I wouldn’t think about it. That injury is just too concerning, mainly because it could throw off his beautiful swing.
If you were to draft Murphy somewhere in the 30s, you would likely be giving up on some better talent. At that position you would likely miss out on Ryan Braun, George Springer and Nelson Cruz.
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I just can’t say I would rather have Murphy than any one of them. If you can grab him in the late 4th, early 5th round go ahead and do it. At that point he’s giving you value even with the injury concern.