Daniel Murphy

Daniel Thomas Murphy is a professional baseball player from the United States of America who plays as a first baseman while also doubling up as an outfielder at times. After attending and playing for the Englewood High School, Murphy moved onto Jacksonville University where he played for three seasons. Batting at .377, .329 and .398, Murphy was a standout in his team and decided to declare at the 2006 MLB Draft.

Picked at 349th overall, in the 13th round, by the New York Mets, Murphy began playing at the Kingsport Mets in the Rookie League. He moved on to the Gulf Coast Mets, still in the Rookie League, before moving up to the Brooklyn Cyclones in the Low A-Division. Murphy was one of the top prospects in the Mets’ organization, getting a bump up to the St. Lucie Mets in the Advanced A-Division by 2007.

In 2008, Murphy started his second season in professional baseball with the AA-League affiliates, the Binghampton Mets. On getting promoted to the New Orleans Zephyrs, the Mets required a replacement for Marlon Anderson who was placed on the disabled list. Murphy got his chance to play in the Majors.

In his very first at-bat, against 3-time all-star Roy Oswalt, Murphy hit a single while making a spectacular catch & double-play later in the innings. In his first 20 at-bats, Murphy had 10 hits, becoming only the 5th Mets player to do so. He even hit his first home run against the Florida Marlins.

Murphy finished the 2008 season with 131 at-bats for the Mets, hitting at .313 with 2 homers and 17 RBI.

Despite being a third baseman, Murphy was asked to play in left field during the 2008 season and continued to do so in 2009, with David Wright playing at third base. An injury to Carlos Delgado gave Murphy the chance to shift into first base. While his fielding was a constant struggle to settle down in a position, Murphy had a wonderful time with the bat, leading the Mets with 12 homers, the lowest home run total to lead the Mets, ever.

At Spring Training in 2010, Murphy hurt his knee during a rundown between third and home. He was placed on the disabled list for the Mets but continues to be a part of the MLB roster.