Breaking! Rightward Shifts on the Defensive Spectrum Don’t Work

For some reason, Hustling Danny Murphy’s would-be transition to second base has generally gotten positive reviews.   Last night’s ugliness may be a good time to note, however, that Murphy has been terrible, the worst 2B in baseball this year except for Richie Weeks, who has been a much better player than he’s been this year and has been hitting in horrible luck.     Murphy, the occasional nice play on a popup notwithstanding, has been predictably hideous defensively (especially on the DP), and offensively he’s kept his average high enough to disguise the fact that he doesn’t actually put runs on the scoreboard.   The fact that Alderson saw no need to look for a major league second baseman makes me wonder how committed he actually is to his new job.  Although, in fairness, Murphy remains much whiter than Luis Castillo.