SportsFullCircle

When most people think of the New York Mets, their first thoughts are if they’ll even win 70 games this season. The beauty about fantasy sports is that you don’t have to worry about an individual’s team to watch them blossom into your lineup to make or break you. This situation applies with a few Mets players, including David Wright, Ike Davis, and Johan Santana.

While we mention the obvious players, there is one that still is under the radar after having a solid season last year. Sure, his year ended early with an MCL injury in 2011, but Daniel Murphy is poised to have the best individual overall season out of any Met player.

Now before you look at this article with three heads and an intention to question my knowledge, let me do my best to convince you. I’m saying “poised” for a reason. Who knows, he might re-injure his MCL and have to sit out the year or start slumping drastically. The potential is there for Murphy to defy the odds though.

The first factor that makes Murphy a valuable fantasy asset is his eligibility for several positions. Since being drafted in the 13th round by the Mets from Jacksonville University in the 2006 MLB Draft, Murphy has started from third base to outfield to second base. If you’ve ever been involved in any fantasy league before, you know flexibility is a major factor in a player’s value.

Murphy has a high ceiling being only 27-years-old. He had some expectations coming out of the minors in 2008, but thanks to switching out of his original position, it’s taken a few years to find his stride. I believe from what I saw last year that Murphy is finally ready to be a solid player in the major leagues, and with him being in his prime years, he can only get better.

Along with his late time to blossom has come Murphy’s bat. Last season, Murphy batted .320 with six homers and 49 RBI’s in 109 games. This year, Murphy will be playing second base for the Metropolitans. A full year at one position should comfort him to the point where those numbers will only increase, while the average will stay in the .300 area. The only category I wouldn’t expect much from Murphy is stolen bases. He isn’t the smartest baserunner, nor has the speed.

What you’re looking at is a player who’s starting for a team with very little expectations. That factors in because with less pressure might come better numbers. When it comes to players like Wright, Davis, and Santana, we expect consistent numbers. The problem is that Wright has been regressing every year, while Santana and Davis are coming off injuries last season as well as Murphy.

I’d have Daniel Murphy on my team. He’s owned in 95 percent of all ESPN fantasy baseball leagues, so if you have a league on that website and he’s available, pick him up. He’ll only make your team more consistent with some quality depth.

If you have any questions or players you want me to evaluate like I did here, ask me through email or message me on Facebook.