Daniel Murphy Strikes Again | JFro's Sports Journalism and Lists

Met fans, can you believe this kid?

I'm always skeptical of rookies and other young players, but Daniel Murphy continues to make me a believer. I'm not one of those who labels his swing "pretty," but he certainly gets the job done. Murphy appears to be a natural line-drive hitter with the ability to pick up hits to all fields.

Tonight's hit, in the eighth inning of a tie game, was especially impressive. Not that Julian Tavarez is the best pitcher around, but at least Murph didn't lock up and strike out or ground out weakly. Murph has proven himself to have better guts and superior clutchness to both Ryan Church and David Wright. That fact alone highlights a sad state of affairs for the Mets.

What the hell is wrong with Wright and Church?

Sure the easy answer is that this is a pennant race and some players merely crumble under pressure, but these are two of the supposed "best" five hitters on the roster. I've been skeptical of Church all season because of his track record, and the head injury certainly didn't help.

Wright is a joke. Here's a guy who everyone raves about but continues to make himself look like the second coming of Alex Rodriguez in the clutch. Round here, we call him "Day-Rod." Can he not strike out when the Mets are down by one or tied?

Oddly similar to A-Rod, Wright has no problem picking up RBIs when the game is out of reach or New York is simply piling on to a lead. That's not enough production for a No. 3 hitter on a potential World Series contender. He MUST have better at bats when the game is on the line, or at least close to being up for grabs. If he doesn't adjust in the playoffs, the Mets will be gone in the blink of an eye.

Much love to Brian Stokes and Pedro Feliciano who, along with Joe Smith, have clearly shown themselves to be the premier relievers in New York's atrocious bullpen. Luis Ayala deserves to be mentioned in that group, as well.

Pick it up D-Wright...we need you.