One of the nice surprises to me when I started writing about the minor league system on a (nearly) daily basis during the season was that in doing so, I was able to pick out something positive nearly all the time.  The positives might include be a player’s single good game, a hot streak, a good month, a good scouting report, or a solid season seemingly out of nowhere.

            For me, Daniel Murphy fits the last category perfectly.  Not only was he not listed among Baseball America’s Mets top 30 prospects before the season, he wasn’t even listed on the depth chart at thirdbase.  The Mets two representatives at third were two guys, Chase Lambin and Shawn Bowman, who played a combined two games in the organization in ’07.  The Mets drafted the left-handed hitting third baseman in the 15th round of 2006 out of the University of Jacksonville, but he didn’t appear in a game until August 10th, thanks to a knee injury sustained during his college season.  In all, he played in 25 games in ‘06 hitting just .213/.324/.276 split among the Mets’ bottom three affiliates (GCL, Kingsport and Brooklyn).  However, in 2007, his first full year, Murphy hit a robust .285/.338/.430 for St. Lucie with 34 doubles, fifth in the league, and 11 HR.  Remember, the FSL is one of the two toughest environments for hitters in all of affiliated ball alongside the Midwest League.  The Mets rewarded Murphy with the Sterling Award as St. Lucie’s MVP. 

            At 6’0”, with a broad chest, the numbers and scouts agree: Murphy can hit.  One scout summed it up succinctly, saying of Murphy, “nice swing, nice approach.”  The scouts I talked to in Hawaii, all graded Murphy’s raw power as major league average or a little better.  Murphy also knows himself.  After telling me in the afternoon that he was feeling good, he launched a bomb of a home run the next night when he returned to the lineup. 

            However, the scouts, numbers and Murphy all agree that his defense remains a work in progress.  He committed 35 errors in St. Lucie, tied for the team lead, and second among the league’s third basemen.  Of course, there’s another obstacle to Murphy playing thirdbase for the Mets: David Wright.    

            Over the weekend, I had a chance to sit down with a man obsessed by swinging a baseball bat, who says he’ll do anything to make it to the majors.  Meet Daniel Murphy.

           

 

TH: Talk about Hawaii.  How’s Hawaii going for you?

DM: Hawaii’s going great.  I’m really enjoying it out here.  Having a lot of fun.  Getting to meet new guys – a lot of guys who played at the same level I did some from the Cal league or state league, some pitching I’ve seen before.  The competition’s really good – it’s a good extension of the regular season. 

 

TH: What’s the best of being in Hawaii?  Anything cool on the off-days?

DM: I think we’re going to Pearl Harbor.  We got to go to a couple of the other islands, Maui and Hilo [on Big Island] and got to see a volcano and take some pictures of that waterfall and the best thing to get another 100, 150 ABs out here .

 

TH: You mentioned the level of play out here, and there are a lot of Florida State League guys out here.  It looks to me like high A, or maybe a little better.  How does it feel?

DM: I’d say the pitching High-A or a tick above.  It’s pretty comparable to what I faced all year….Lotta fastballs, guys really command the fastball here, and just like the hitters,   the pitchers are trying to command the fastball and we’re trying to command the fastball as a hitter.

 

TH: You mentioned the best part of coming, getting another 100, 150 ABs, what’s the big part of your game are you trying to work on out here in Hawaii?

DM: Out here right now, just trying  to keep it rolling from the season.  I played in a good lineup in St. Lucie.  We had a good year, I was able to swing the bat pretty well.  Keep rolling, keep having good at-bats.  On the other side, I played pretty mediocre defense this year.  Towards the end of the year it got better.  The second half was a lot better.  Out here I’m really trying to focus on my defense.  I’m just trying to be a total baseball player in all aspects.

 

TH: Is there a specific part of your defense?  For example, last night, you showed some really good, and some not so good, frankly.  There was a diving stop to your left, with a good throw across the diamond, and right before that, a ball that ate you up a little bit. 

DM: Right now it’s my feet, my footwork.  My hands are working really well, but it’s trying to find a nice balanced position where I can really explode on the baseball.  The ball that you’re talking about ate me up, I actually picked the right hop, but my feet were slow getting there and if you’re feet aren’t working, you’re gonna have a tough time.  On the other side, on the totally opposite end of the spectrum, the ball I made the diving play on, was ready to go, made a real good first step, was able to get to it, didn’t get the guy, but was able to make a good play on it.  So there you go within two innings you have the two different aspects of it.  And hopefully I can bottle up the diving play. 

 

TH: Ok, lets go through the one that ate you up.  Not because I want to talk about the negative stuff, but because of the phrase, “I picked the right hop.” So take us through it, starting with the pitch, reading the ball off the bat, the footwork and everything involved.

DM: I think Russell Mitchell, was up, their four hole hitter for the Canefires. He hits the ball really well, puts it on the barrel a lot, he’s a pull guy, so I was really focusing in on the hitting zone.  And he snatched a fastball, first pitch, right at me.  I saw the hop probably six to eight feet out in front of me.  I gave a good drop step, whereas I took my left foot back and was gonna drop with it, give with it a little bit, set my feet and make a throw.  And as I was dropping, everything in my body was moving kinda slow, my feet felt like they were in quicksand.  And I was unable to really give with it the way I wanted to.  And it kinda ate me up, and it looked like it skipped off my glove and it did, because I was late. 

 

TH: And today, I saw you doing a lot of hands drills, but you say the hands are doing well.

DM: Yeah, the hands are working.  They’re working really well.  Actually, the hands save me quite a bit because the feet sometimes pick the wrong hop.  The hands are working really well so I’m trying to get my feet to work together with my hands and the same smoothness and try to smooth some things out in the field.

 

TH: Do you think of yourself as a first baseman now and forever, yeah, third baseman, have the Mets given you any indication that that’s your future?
DM: I played 138 games out of 142 at third base this year.  I DHed a couple.  I’d say third base right now from everything they’ve told me.  I’m working on it as my position as long as I just keep trying to play well over there.  So yeah, I’d say thirdbase is my position. … Maybe one day along in the future…I think the Mets have a pretty good guy up there now.  No, he rakes.  I got to see him play up there this year – he’s good. You know, any way I get to the big leagues, if it’s at second, third or if they want me to get on the bump, if I’m in the big leagues, I don’t care.  But I’d say right now, thirdbase is where they want to keep me. 

 

TH: So, where’d you see David Wright?

DM:  I actually got the Sterling Award this year for the St. Lucie Mets, so I got to go up there [to Shea Stadium] and watch them unfortunately play the Phillies for a three game set which they got swept.  The first swing Wright took he hit a bomb to leftfield.  It was really exciting.  I got to watch him play defense.  He’s a complete player.  He uses the whole field hitting. He made a diving play on a bunt and turned a double play.  He has all the tools and he’s fun to watch.  He’s a good guy for me to try to model myself after.  ...He’s the big leaguer…

 

TH: A little different in that you hit from different sides of the plate, though.  Is there a third baseman that you think you most resemble?

DM: Man, how many lefty hitting third basemen are there?  …. Defensively, I’d like to model myself after someone like Wright or maybe Chavez.  I’d say Chavez now that he comes to mind, left-handed hitter, drives the ball well, commands the strike zone… I think he’s won 5 or 6 gold gloves….He looks like he has fun playing the game – all those Oakland guys do and so do the ones here….

 

TH: He’s had some injury problems. Huh?

DM: Yeah, try to stay away from those…I had one of those.  I signed hurt.  Hopefully get in the weight room and clean some of that up.  We have a great training staff with the Mets… I tell you what, everything’s first class in the minor leagues.

 

TH: Tell me about signing hurt, and then you played over three levels last year, so take us through that first year with the Mets and overcoming that injury.

DM: The first year I signed (06), I kinda busted my knee a little bit at JU, so I rehabbed the entire Gulf Coast season in Port St. Lucie.  Got about 20 at bats there, and then I got sent to Kingsport Tennessee in Rookie ball, another 20 I think 25, hit the ball pretty well there. Finally went up to to Brooklyn where I was originally scheduled to go if I’d been healthy and got another 30 there, and hit the ball fair.  Played ok, didn’t play any defense.  Funny story, the first inning of defense I played was in a big league spring training game.  Talk about scaring the crap out of you there.  First season ….it was frustrating.  … You don’t want to say you get depressed, but in the spring training facility… you can feel like you get lost in the shuffle, but you don’t.  The organization knows about you.  You just gotta keep doing your work and look ahead and keep your eye on what you’re trying to get to.  ….  Fortunately, this year, knock on wood, I was able to stay healthy all year. 

 

TH: Any lasting effects of that knee problem?

DM: As of right now, no.  I’ve been going at it since mid-February and we’re almost in November.  It’s held up really well.  Got in the weight room and still lifting hard right now.  The knee’s actually held up real well and I’m thankful for that.

 

TH: How about playing with all these Mets guys out here?  It seems like we’ve got the whole St. Lucie infield out here with Pellot and Garcia was out here, and Evans was out here before he got hurt and now you’ve got Lucas Duda and you’re playing for a Mets guy in Donovan Mitchell.  It’s almost like Mets West out here.

DM: I’m telling you, man, I know.  We better start winning some games, or they’ll start blaming us.  We got like six guys out here.  It’s a lot of fun.  …. It’s nice to know guys, but on the other hand, I’ve gotten to know guys from the Mariners, Oakland, and all those organizations - they’re great guys.   Guys you might play against, you not think they’re the best, but as soon as you play with them, you realize they’re great guys.  It’s a lot of fun. …

 

TH: You got plans for the rest of the off-season?

DM: I’m gonna go back to Jacksonville since I went to school in Jacksonville.  As soon as they start their season in January, I’ll go out and start working out with them.  It actually works out really well.  They’re great about letting me use their facilities to work out and work out with ‘em getting ready for spring training.  Mostly I’m just gonna get in the weight room. I’d like to get up to 220.  I’m about 210-215 right now...  Slim down a bit.  I’m gonna do speed training at the Hit Center– couple big leaguers work out there – Bret Myers and  some Jaguars guys.  Really, I’m just looking forward to the 2008 season.  Hopefully can do as well as I did this past year.

 

TH: What do you do when you’re not at the ballpark, whether it’s here in Hawaii or at home in Jacksonville?

DM: Think about hitting – all the time.  I’d like to say I’ll that I’ll go back and take a month, month-and-a-half off from swinging the bat, but I get the shakes after a while if I’m not swinging the bat.  I like to read a lot.  I realized playing 140 games this year that you just sit down and watch sportscenter every night, just go to the park, you just get dumber.   So I really enjoyed that, found some good books this summer…Reading and thinking about hitting, that’s my life right there.

 

TH: What’s the best thing you read this summer?

DM: Into Thin Air – John Krakauer. 

 

TH: Sure, great book.

DM: Actually, I’m reading Into the Wild right now trying to see it before I see the movie right now.  Into Thin Air is just a great book. I’d recommend it to anybody.  It’s a true story that reads like a novel.  I didn’t believe our catcher when he told us that…..

 

TH: Is that catcher Sean McCraw?

DM: Actually catcher/pitcher Joe Hietpas….

 

TH: You get the shakes if you don’t swing?

DM: I tell you man… I wake up in the morning usually think about hitting all the time.  I go to bed at night thinking about hitting.  It’s a good and bad thing.  You have an 0-fer and you might lose a little sleep.  You go 4-4 you think about all those good at-bats.  I can’t go too long without swinging a bat – it’s something I enjoy doing.  If I wouldn’t get so tired, I’d swing a bat 365 days a year. 

 

TH: I think one of the big things for players as they move up the minor league ladder, and coaches have talked a lot to me about this - guys have to start to learn their own swings.  At the A-ball level, you might do a lot of coaching on mechanics, but as guys move up it’s less about mechanics and more about mental stuff and being consistent.  Would you say you’re a guy who knows your own swing at this point?

DM: I’d say I have a really good feel for my swing.  I was just talking to a scout the other day… and I was just struggling with my swing a little bit a couple days a ago…a couple things here and there –tweaks, but I could feel ‘em…kinda patterned it down the other day in BP, had a real good BP yesterday hit some balls hard.  So yeah, I have a real good feel for my swing.  But to tell the truth- these guys right now have such good stuff, they’re all -90-92 with a breaking ball- the swing works, if it didn’t work, none of us would be here - so now it’s hit something your looking for, hit a fastball in a zone you’re looking for – it’s a lot of mental.  You talk about mental, that’s what it is, hitting is a mental approach.

 

TH: What did you feel getting out of whack?

DM: I’m not gonna lie to you, I’ve been a little fatigued out here, a little tired.  It’s my first full season – I’m up to about 160 games I think. I was getting lazy on my back side, some people say drift to the ball, your head moves, and my back hip was kinda dragging to the ball instead of really driving that knee and that barrel down to the ball.  So I felt it.  I got in the cage and worked on just dropping the head and driving on through.  Had a real good bp session. Actually found the swing yesterday, the one right through the shortstop - double.  That’s the swing.  As soon as I hit it I knew.  That’s what I said to myself on the way to second, “that’s the swing right there, that’s the one that gets you back in the groove.”  Anytime I get in a funk, I try to go right through the shortstop.  I couldn’t a bottled it up any better. 

 

TH: When I hear a batter talk about drifting with the back hip, it’s gonna sap power and sap explosiveness.  That’s what it means for you, right?

DM: Exactly, that’s what it is.  Once I start drifting the barrel drops and you don’t get through anything.  So right there, I was looking for a fastball 2-0.  Pitcher gave me a shake, so I knew he was coming fastball- gave me the fake shake.  I was just trying to hit it hard right up the middle, let it get a little deep.  Stayed on it, hit it right through the shortstop….You talk about excited after you’re not swing the bat for a few days….I told the guys if I could bottle that up and anytime you get in a funk, bottle that up throw it on your hands, rub it on your hands.  That’s the kinda swing that gets you back in rhythm. 

 

TH: Keep that good feeling, and thanks so much for your time.

DM: Thank you.

 

 

 

Toby Hyde has written Toby’s Mets Minor League Report since 2004.  Please pass this along to friends, family, co-workers, enemies and most importantly Mets fans.  To subscribe to the email newsletter, sign up here: http://groups.google.com/group/mets-minors?hl=en.  Archives are available at http://metsminors.metsblog.com.