Colorado Rockies: Yes, Daniel Murphy has been good this season

DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 02: Daniel Murphy #9 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates with Ryan McMahon #24 after hitting a solo home run in the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field on August 02, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 02: Daniel Murphy #9 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates with Ryan McMahon #24 after hitting a solo home run in the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field on August 02, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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Colorado Rockies’ first baseman Daniel Murphy has quietly put together a solid first two weeks of this pandemic-shortened season.

Yes, Daniel Murphy, like him or not, Colorado Rockies fans, has become an important piece in the Colorado Rockies’ surprise 8-3 start to the season.

Rockies fans have certainly found plenty of reasons to not like Murphy over his last season-plus with the team, including the fact that he signed with the Rockies as the team allowed fan-favorite DJ LeMahieu to depart to the New York Yankees for the exact same contract. He also struggled in his first season with the Rockies after landing on the injured list after the second game of the season … while LeMahieu was having an MVP-caliber season with the Yankees.

In the past, Rockies fans have rolled their eyes at Murphy’s numerous baserunning blunders and awkward head-first dives into bases. There was “the incident” during the Tooth Trot last season that is still a favorite for fans to replay and discuss in social media. There is also his sub-standard defensive play (including an error on Wednesday night) at a position in which the franchise’s icon, Todd Helton, flourished for 17 seasons.

Despite all of that, so far this season, his results on the field have made fans overlook the majority of those moments.

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In the nine games he has played in this season, Murphy is hitting .303 with a home run, 4 RBI, and three runs scored. This was highlighted by his 4-for-4 performance in Sunday’s 9-6 victory over the San Diego Padres.

He has done a solid job picking up the slack batting behind Nolan Arenado, who until this series against the Giants, had been struggling at the plate.

Despite his error in Wednesday night’s game, he has also looked a lot more comfortable at first base. He has made a handful of nice plays, digging low throws out of the dirt at first and completing some Gold Glove-caliber plays by Trevor Story and Arenado.

Next. Nolan Arenado talks about his career-long success against San Francisco. dark

As long as he is producing and the Rockies are winning, fans will likely overlook Murphy’s past gaffes with the team. Winning often makes for short memories.