The Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) today made a major announcement, as they have signed former New York Met standout Daniel Murphy for the 2023 season.
The 12-year Major League veteran infielder/outfielder begins his first season with the Ducks and 16th in professional baseball.
Murphy decided to return to baseball after he said that he came to realization that he figured out certain things that will help him perform well in baseball again.
Plus, he added that he is very grateful to the Ducks’ brass for granting him this opportunity.
“This game is part of my soul, and my passion for playing grew as great as ever when I discovered certain things that I believe will enable me to be productive on the field again,” Murphy said on LIDucks.com. “I am immensely grateful to Mr. Boulton, Wally Backman and Michael Pfaff for allowing me to live my dream for a second time.”
Murphy played seven seasons with the New York Mets (2008-09, 2011-15), three with the Washington Nationals (2016-18), one with the Chicago Cubs (2018) and two with the Colorado Rockies (2019-20). He has totaled 1,452 big league games, posting a .296 batting average with 138 home runs, 735 RBI, 710 runs, 1,572 hits, 371 doubles, 29 triples, a .341 on-base percentage and a .796 OPS.
The Jacksonville, Florida, native represented the National League at the MLB All-Star Game on three occasions (2014, ’16 and ‘17) and won two National League Silver Slugger Awards (2016-17). Murphy also finished second in the voting for National League Most Valuable Player in 2016 after leading the league in doubles (47), slugging percentage (.595) and OPS (.985), finishing behind only to Chicago Cubs infielder Kris Bryant.
Murphy also played for the 2017 World Baseball Classic gold medal-winning Team USA squad.
As Met fans so dearly remember, Murphy had an enormous postseason in 2015, leading New York to its fifth World Series appearance in franchise history. He became the first player in Major League history to smack a longball in six consecutive playoff tilts and became the second player in league history to drive in at least one run in seven consecutive playoff games.
The 37-year-old earned the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player after batting .529 and homering in all four games of the Mets series sweep against the Chicago Cubs.
Murphy, who turns 38 this Saturday, becomes the second former Met to sign with Long Island this year, as the Ducks inked Ruben Tejada last month.
— Jerry Del Priore
Photo: Long Island Ducks
Brooklyn Sports World/NY NJ Sports World 