Mets: A tribute to the career of 2015 postseason hero Daniel Murphy

Veteran infielder and former All-Star Daniel Murphy has officially elected to retire from his professional baseball career. Fans of the New York Mets will always remember his 2015 postseason heroics and his steady contributions to the franchise.

As we celebrate a “beautiful” career, now is the perfect time to revisit Murphy’s time in orange and blue.

New York Mets: The Beginning

Murphy, a 12-year major league veteran, spent his first seven seasons in Flushing. Despite being selected in the 13th round of the 2006 draft, the slugger was able to carve out an excellent big-league career.

During the earlier portion of his career, the longtime Met quickly established himself as a great contact hitter. Year after year, he posted batting averages in the .300 range and on-base-percentages nearing .350.

In addition to his ability to make contact, Murphy also flashed secondary skills that helped him become a well-rounded player.  He hit double-digit home runs and stole double-digit bases in three of his seven seasons in Queens. While he was not known for his speed, the crafty baserunner was able to swipe a career-high 23 bags in 2013.

All of these accomplishments made him a solid player for the Mets. By reputation, he was a good, but not great, middle infielder. Then, the 2015 season happened…

The Legendary Postseason

Over the span of a few short months, Murphy went from a solid player to the stuff of legends. After earning his first All-Star team in 2014, the slugger rode the wave of momentum into the 2015 campaign.

That season, he reached the second-most doubles in franchise history (228). However, it was his postseason antics that would solidify his place amongst other great Met performers.

Murphy was a key cog in the franchise’s magical World Series run in 2015. He hit for a .333 average with three homers and five RBI in the opening series against the Dodgers. Then, he recorded a blistering .529 average with four homers and six RBI in a NLCS sweep of the Cubs.

In doing so, Murphy became the first player in the history of baseball to hit a home run in seven consecutive postseason games.

The Latter Stages

After much debate among fans, the Mets eventually elected to allow Murphy to leave the franchise after this historic postseason run. Tragically, he landed with the NL East rival Nationals.

During his tenure in Washington, he recorded his 1,000th career hit, made two additional All-Star games, made the postseason twice, and finished second In MVP voting in 2016.

A knee injury in 2018 began to slow his career. He joined the Cubs for a single season in 2018, before landing in Colorado to finish out his career.

A Grand Mets Sendoff

As his career came to a close, Murphy was quoted as saying “It was ours. It was messy. There were beautiful moments. There were lows, there were highs, but I felt like as a family we tried to honor each other, honor those around us, honor Jesus — failing miserably multitudes of times. But it was ours.”

Murphy retires with 1,452 games played, 1,572 hits, 138 homers, 735 RBI, 68 steals, and a stellar .296 lifetime batting average. While a slow start to his career will keep his name out of conversations for honors such as the Hall-of-Fame, Daniel Murphy should be quite proud of his exceptional career.

He made a name for himself with multiple franchises, played at this highest level for over a decade, and made postseason history. His great 2015 performance with New York will make him a name that an entire generation of Mets’ fans will remember for the rest of their lives.

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Join me in giving a virtual tip of the cap to Murphy as we wish him the best in whatever retirement holds.