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Milwaukee Brewers: Starting Second Base Options

By Sam Brahm

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 7: Jed Lowrie #8 of the Oakland Athletics rounds the bases on a two run home run during the eighth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on July 7, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 7: Jed Lowrie #8 of the Oakland Athletics rounds the bases on a two run home run during the eighth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on July 7, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 11: Daniel Murphy #20 of the Washington Nationals bats against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on August 11, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Nationals defeated the Cubs 9-4. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 11: Daniel Murphy #20 of the Washington Nationals bats against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on August 11, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Nationals defeated the Cubs 9-4. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Daniel Murphy

One of the debatable candidates to play second base is 33 year old Daniel Murphy. A lot of Brewers fans want him and a lot of Brewers fans don’t want anything to do with him. No matter what Brewers fans think, he’s a guy that could end up being the starting second baseman for the Brewers in 2019.

The Positives

Daniel Murphy has declined a little bit, but he is still one of the best hitting second basemen in baseball. He would add another lefty to the lineup, has some pop in his bat, and doesn’t strike out a lot. He has the ability to make the lineup one of the best in not only the NL, but one of the best lineups in baseball.

Stats

2016: .347 BA/25 HR/104 RBI/.390 OBP/.985 OPS/57 K in 582 PA (w/ Nationals)

2017: .322 BA/23 HR/93 RBI/.384 OBP/.928 OPS/77 K in 593 PA (w/ Nationals)

2018: .299 BA/12 HR/42 RBI/.336 OBP/.790 OPS/40 K in 351 PA (w/ Nationals and Cubs)

The Negatives

Murphy is very strong offensively, but his defense is a different story. There’s only one word to describe it: mediocre. According to Fangraphs, Murphy’s UZR (a fielding stat comparing plays a player has made to plays an “average player” could make) is in the negatives. Even if you don’t understand the stat, you know that something in the negatives is not good.

Same with another category as well. One of the biggest fielding stats is Defensive Runs Saved. According to Fangraphs, a below average defenders DRS is -5. Daniel Murphy’s is -15. In a chart explaining DRS, -15 is considered “awful.” Let’s just say defense isn’t his strong suit, but writer Ken Rosenthal made a good point about the interest in Murphy.

Overview

This all depends on if the Brewers would take the risk. The Brewers have been a team that takes offense over defense. Daniel Murphy defines that. There are a few other teams that are interested in Murphy, but the Brewers could be a serious suitor.

Contract Prediction: 2-Years/$28 Million

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