Washington Nationals: Daniel Murphy is finally turning his season around

Having just got above the Mendoza Line on the season, Washington Nationals infielder Daniel Murphy is on the verge of finally breaking out of his long slump

He’s only just above the Mendoza Line, but Daniel Murphy is on the brink of a tear for the Washington Nationals. If he can get it going, then the lineup starts to look as deep as it ever has this year.

Murphy has now been back from the disabled list for almost a month and continues to hit just .211 in 2018. We all know he’s a better hitter than that, and the recent stats will back that up.

In his last 14 games, he’s hitting a much more Murph-like .289 but his BABIP shows that even a figure this low is unlucky. The BABIP in that time is .261, over 20 points lower than the batting average.

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He’s also not being lured into soft contact in that spell either. His rate of soft contact just 16.3 percent, which is actually a percent lower than it was last season, which is encouraging.

Murphy’s medium contact rate in that time is 62.8 percent. This is likely up due to the amount of hard contact being down, because of the leg injury and not getting them into his swing as much. His hard contact rate since June 22nd is just 20.9 percent, with major league average sitting at 35.5 percent.

Perhaps we’re seeing something closer to the Murphy we saw with the New York Mets. Back then he hit for a high average but not much power. It’s hard to forget the magical post-season he had in 2015 with the Mets, before signing with the Nats, which is where his power blossomed.

One thing the infielder will have to be mindful of, however, is the surgically repaired knee. It’s caused him issues so far this season on the basepaths and in the field.

On the field, it would be best for him and the team if he saw most of his time at first base. He was a sub-par defender at second base before the knee surgery, and his range has only gotten worse. While at first, he’s actually been a slightly above average defender.

But right now, he’s costing his team on the basepaths, as we once again saw Monday night. It’s the second time he’s tried to ambitiously go from first to third in a week after he did it against the Boston Red Sox.

He must get used to his new limitations now, as he can’t afford to kill a rally for a struggling offense. Even if it means simply holding at second on plays like that and playing it safe.

Next: Fold, stick or twist at the deadline?

The Washington Nationals consistently inconsistent offense needs Daniel Murphy as his best. Having him in there as a potential number six hitter will get this lineup back to one of the deepest in the majors.

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