Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
David Murphy was never a starter during his time with the Texas Rangers. He ended up with over 400 at bats every season, but wasn’t consistent enough to play every day. He ended up as a starter in 2013, but he put up the worst numbers of his career. He hit .220 with 13 home runs and 45 RBI.
That didn’t stop the Cleveland Indians from taking a chance on the 32-year-old outfielder. Something must have clicked because Murphy is playing very well and should be added in deeper leagues.
Murphy was hitting well in the month of April. He posted a .282/.368/.436 slash line while hitting two home runs and 18 RBI. Things improved in May as he hit .286/.346/.500 so far in 18 games. On May 14, Murphy collected five hits and drove in five runs. He has a .284 average with five home runs and 31 RBI on the season. Murphy has hit safely in seven of his last eight games with three home runs in his last five games.
Murphy is still not an everyday player, taking a seat to Ryan Raburn when there is a lefty on the mound. This will hinder the amount of at bats Murphy will get in a season. However, with his level of production up until now, Murphy can be a OF5 in some leagues.
With there being more right-handed pitchers, Murphy should get close or even exceed his career-high 457 at bats. He is guaranteed to hit double-digit home runs and drive in his fair share of batters.
He is owned in just 41 percent of ESPN.com leagues. There has been a recent increase in ownership, jumping up 29 percent over the last couple of weeks. I wouldn’t recommend picking up Murphy in a standard 10-team league. He’s better suited for AL-only or 16-team leagues.
Bill Pivetz is a fantasy sports writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @BPiv_Sports.
