Last season, David Murphy, a Texas native, emerged as a quality outfielder for the Texas Rangers and was arguably one of the top fourth outfielders in all of baseball last season while helping the Rangers reach the World Series despite a terrible first month of the season.
Murphy dug his way out of a sub-.200 batting average through the first month or so and by the time the season ended was hitting .291 while hitting 12 home runs and 65 RBIs, basically carrying the Rangers' offense in September when MVP Josh Hamilton was out with an injury.
This season started similarly bad for Murphy, but unfortuntely for the Rangers, it hasn't turned around yet.
He's hitting .233 this season and is playing with less regularity, which could explain his struggles or could be a result of the struggles. He has just four home runs and 15 RBIs.
Murphy's a nice guy and an easy one to pull for, but he's one of many Rangers bats hitting below their expectations. And as a career .276 hitter he's definitely one of the biggest offenders.
