2009 Season: David Murphy spent more time in left field than anyone, though because of the Rangers' outfield rotation, four players got at least a dozen starts in left field in 2009.
Murphy played 104 games out there, collecting hits when the Rangers weren't swinging the bats very well. He finished the season at .269 with 17 homers and 57 RBIs. He was tied for second on the Rangers with 49 walks and his .338 on-base percentage was the second-highest (behind Michael Young) of any Rangers player with at least 400 at-bats.
Those numbers are why Murphy moved all over the lineup. In fact, he played at least one game at every lineup position except leadoff and cleanup (though he had one at-bat in the No. 4 spot). He batted third more than anywhere else (123 at-bats), but also had 77 or more at-bats at the Nos. 5, 6, and 7 spots. Murphy's versatility with the bat made him invaluable. He also played a handful of games in right field.
Murphy may have been the more underrated and underappreciated player on the team. He doesn't have much speed and he won't dazzle you defensively. But he sure seemed to deliver some big hits when the Rangers needed them and he stayed healthy, playing whereever and whenever needed.
Marlon Byrd played 36 games in right field, with Julio Borbon getting 16 games out there and Andruw Jones 12. The left field position for the Rangers hit a combined .271 (sixth in the AL) with 89 RBIs (fifth in the AL).
2010 Outlook: Murphy has certainly earned a chance to get some playing time, but his .235 average against lefties meant that he was out there primarily against right-handed pitching (he had just 102 at-bats against lefties in 2008). Who else gets a chance to play left field depends on whether Marlon Byrd returns. If Byrd is here, than the Rangers will likely go with a similar rotation, giving Byrd some play out there. But if Julio Borbon takes over in center field, shifting Josh Hamilton to a corner spot, it's possible that Nelson Cruz (and even Hamilton) could see time in left too.
If Borbon becomes the fulltime centerfielder (something yet to be determined) where does that leave Murphy? Does his playing time decrease or has he done enough to seize the primary left-field spot?
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Richard Durrett
Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
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Ben Rogers joined ESPNDallas.com in November 2009. He is one half of the "GameNight with Ben & Skin" show, heard weekdays from 6p-9p on 103.3 FM ESPN.
