Once a fallback option, Murphy turned in MVP-caliber year

As we transition into offseason mode here, we're reviewing each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Daniel Murphy, whose first season in Washington proved to be among the best all-around seasons in Nats history and made the veteran infielder an MVP candidate.

PLAYER REVIEW: DANIEL MURPHY

Age on opening day 2017: 32

How acquired: Signed as free agent, December 2016

MLB service time: 7 years, 109 days

2016 salary: $8 million

Contract status: Signed for $12 million in 2017, $17.5 million in 2018. Free agent in 2019.

2016 stats: 142 G, 582 PA, 531 AB, 88 R, 184 H, 47 2B, 5 3B, 25 HR, 104 RBI, 5 SB, 3 CS, 35 BB, 57 SO, .347 AVG, .390 OBP, .595 SLG, .985 OPS, 4.6 WAR

Quotable: "Oh, my gosh, how many superlatives can you say? This guy is absolutely hitting the cover off the ball. He just understands what he's doing at the plate, has such a great feel for the strike zone. And when he gets his pitch, he hits it." - Max Scherzer on Murphy

2016 analysis: It's remarkable to think about now, but Daniel Murphy was a fallback option for the Nationals over the winter. Actually, he was the fallback option to the fallback option. The club really wanted to sign Ben Zobrist as its second baseman and fill-in at other positions, but watched as the veteran chose to take a little less money to sign with the Cubs instead. Then came a deal in principle to acquire Brandon Phillips from the Reds that would have been consummated had Phillips not enacted his no-trade clause and stayed in Cincinnati.

The Nationals certainly aren't complaining about any of that now, not after they managed to get Murphy at an affordable price ($37.5 million over three years) and then watched as he carried over his torrid postseason with the Mets and became a legitimate MVP candidate in his first season in D.C.

Always a good contact guy who hit for high average - he batted .291 over the previous five seasons with New York - Murphy added power to his game and, in the process, elevated himself into one of the best all-around hitters in baseball. He set career highs in homers, doubles and RBIs, led the league in slugging and OPS, and was one hit shy of winning the National League batting title.

The knock on Murphy always has been his defense, but that proved to be far less of an issue than many expected. He was charged with nine errors in 468 chances at second base, hardly an egregious total. He made more than his share of above-average plays. And in the end, his offensive contributions far outweighed his defensive shortcomings.

2017 outlook: It would be easy to examine Murphy's numbers this season and say he can't possibly do it again. But that's exactly what everyone said after his remarkable 2016 postseason. So maybe this legitimately is who he is at this stage of his career.

There's no denying how good Murphy's bat control is, and that leads to more quality at-bats than anybody else on the roster. And keep in mind that he posted these MVP-caliber numbers during a season in which Bryce Harper severely declined following his own MVP campaign. Put these two guys together in peak form over six months and the results could be scary.

The one concern with Murphy might be his health, and specifically his legs. He injured his hamstring during the All-Star Game and had to miss some time coming out of the break to deal with that. He also missed two weeks at the end of the regular season with a buttocks strain, which actually was connected to the hamstring injury that plagued him earlier in the summer. Murphy uses his legs a lot in his swing and Dusty Baker may need to be more careful about giving him more regular days off next year to make sure those legs don't get tired and lead to the possibility of another injury.