Murph returns, and the Mets blowout the Marlins
The Mets blowout the Marlins, 7-1, in Grapefruit League play. Plus, Daniel Murphy debuts in the booth.
What’s up with the Mets? 🍎
The Mets defeated the Marlins by a score of 7-1 on Tuesday afternoon (box)
RHP Adrian Houser pitched well in his spring debut with the club, allowing one base runner and no runs in 2 IP
No. 2 ranked prospect Drew Gilbert went 1-for-1 with a two-run single and a run scored coming off the bench
1B Ji Man Choi clubbed his first home run of the spring in the victory
No. 11 ranked prospect Alex Ramírez went 1-for-2 with an RBI double
Former Mets 2B Daniel Murphy made his television booth debut on SNY during the game
2B Jeff McNeil likely won’t make his spring debut until next week, as he’s still recovering from a partial tear in his left elbow (MLB.com)
Joel Sherman makes the case for the Mets to reconsider their non-interest in free agent LHP Jordan Montgomery (NY Post)
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (3-1) vs. Cardinals (2-1)
Where: Clover Park – Port St. Lucie, FL
Starters: RHP Reed Garrett (0-0, 18.00 ERA) vs. RHP Miles Mikolas (spring debut)
When: 1:10 PM EST
Where to Watch: SNY
Good to have you back, Murph ✍️
He’s baaaaaaaack.
Three years after retiring and nine years since he last played for the Mets, the club’s former second baseman Daniel Murphy made his return to the organization on Wednesday in a brand new format.
Instead of re-signing with the club or suiting up for Old Timers’ Day, this time Murph donned an SNY polo as he prepared to join the television booth for the first time in his career. Murphy’s appearance on SNY will be a two-day stint, as he will once again be on the broadcast this afternoon in Port St. Lucie.
While it’s far too early to evaluate Murphy’s performance in the booth — especially considering he’s only done it once and in an exhibition game — it was good to have him back. Mets fans have attachments to their former players, especially the ones who hung around for prosperous seasons. There haven’t been a lot of them over the years so when they happen, they’re special.
And 2015 still holds a special place in our hearts.
It ended in heartbreaking fashion that still sits with me to this day, but boy was it a fun ride. While Yoenis Céspedes was the headline over the season’s final two months, Murphy was the unsung hero of the second half and the star of the postseason.
People forget that Murphy struggled for a long portion of the 2015 season, as the left-handed infielder sported a .706 OPS as of August 1st. After working diligently with hitting coach Kevin Long, though, Murph unlocked the power in his swing and completely changed the next few years of his career.
From August 1st through the end of the regular season, Murphy hit .297/.321/.533 with eight home runs, 19 doubles, 37 RBI and an .854 OPS over his final 50 games.
And when October hit, the story only got even more incredible. We all know it by now, but I’ll give you the cliff notes: .328/.391/.724, seven home runs, 11 RBI, 13 runs scored, a 1.115 OPS and an MLB postseason record six straight games with a home run.
The Mets ultimately fell short of their title hopes that season, and things got darker from there as they let Murphy walk to the division rival Nationals where he would absolutely torment them for the next two-and-a-half years by becoming one of the great Mets killers of all-time. At that time, no one could have possibly predicted Murphy’s continued ascension into superstardom. Even SNY play-by-play broadcaster Gary Cohen referred to Murphy as a “net negative” in a radio interview in 2015.
What beautiful irony now that Cohen finds himself sharing a microphone and sitting two feet away from that same man today, as Murphy’s run with the Mets has forever etched him into the history of this ball club.
While there were some tough years where Mets fans were forced to root against him as he eviscerated their pitching staff, Murph has always been a New York Met to his core. He started his career here, became a postseason hero here, and began his rise here.
It’s good to have him back.
Around the League 🚩
Dodgers RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani homered in his spring debut with the organization
The Giants remain engaged with free agents LHP Blake Snell and 3B Matt Chapman (San Francisco Chronicle)
The Cubs and OF Cody Bellinger made their three-year contract official
RHP Sonny Gray was named as the Cardinals Opening Day starting pitcher
Braves LHP Chris Sale struck out four over two shutout innings in his Spring Training debut with the club
The Orioles reportedly signed RHP Julio Teherán to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training (Heyman)
So Great to see and hear Daniel Murphy in the booth. He is well spoke, knowledgeable or the game and paused. Keith is the bests color man, but when he retires (assumably) at the end of his contract, Murph can should take over that spot.