Mets should use Murphy more at second base

The Mets never came up with an obvious choice at second base after six weeks of spring training -- it was more like they declared Brad Emaus the winner by default.

But now, 10 games into the regular season, it's beginning to look as if they made the wrong choice. Or, at the very least, the Mets need to revisit that decision, and platooning Emaus with Daniel Murphy seems to be the logical next step.

Terry Collins dipped his toe into that murky water Tuesday by giving Murphy his second consecutive start at second base -- before the game was rained out. Colorado was scheduled to pitch Esmil Rogers, a righthander, but when the taboo word "platoon" was brought up, Collins handled it like a grenade.

"Um . . . I don't know," Collins said. "I thought the energy that he brings sometimes is infectious, so I'd like to get him back out there. I thought he earned the right, and I haven't even gone down that road, where I'm thinking about platooning anybody. I just thought right now, we need some big hits, and I think Dan has swung the bat good enough to give us those."

Collins quickly added Emaus was "probably" going to return to the lineup for the next game, and also threw in Chin-lung Hu, saying, "I've got to make sure he gets back in there, too."

For all the talk of Emaus' potential and plate discipline, it didn't take long for Collins -- surely with an approving wink from GM Sandy Alderson -- to ditch the Rule 5 pick for a player who might actually generate some offense. Patience is in short supply around the Mets these days -- just ask Blaine Boyer -- and the 4-6 start already has made everyone jumpy.

Otherwise, it probably wouldn't matter much that Emaus is batting .167 (4-for-24) with a .286 on-base percentage and twice as many strikeouts as walks. Again, we're talking tiny sample sizes here. But the Mets are trying to win games, and right this minute, Murphy seems better equipped to help in that pursuit -- even if it's just a platoon situation.

Murphy is a career .280 hitter against righthanders and also has a full season in the majors on his resume. In 2009, he played 155 games after stepping in at first base for injured Carlos Delgado, and he hit .266 with 38 doubles and 12 homers.

The knock against Murphy has always been his defense, and he's given the Mets anxiety attacks at every position he's tried before second base. But after spending much of the past year getting acclimated to the position, Murphy has looked pretty decent lately.

On Monday, with the infield pulled in, he grabbed a high chopper and fired a strong throw to nail a runner at the plate. A few innings later, Murphy made a great diving stop to his left, deep on the outfield grass, then spun to rifle a perfect dart to first base.

As far as turning a double play, Murphy never will be Roberto Alomar -- or even Luis Hernandez. But if he can handle the defensive part, Murphy will make it more difficult to keep him on the bench.

"I think Terry is going to try to run the guys out there that he thinks are going to help the team win," said Murphy, who is 3-for-5 with men in scoring position.

There are other factors. The front office would prefer to see Emaus succeed as a full-time second baseman because they like Murphy as a super-sub and think Emaus would wither on the bench. Not only that, if the Mets think he no longer is useful, the Rule 5 pick must be offered back to the Blue Jays.

That would be admitting failure for the new regime, but it's a mistake that shouldn't matter much if winning games hangs in the balance.