Finding a Balance Despite Injuries, Position Changes and a Slump LOS ANGELES - There is an image of Daniel Murphy, shaped slowly over the length of his professional baseball career, as a man unsettled. His years within the Mets organization, which picked him 394th over all in the 2006 draft, have largely been torturous. He has been shepherded from one position to another. He has sustained three major knee injuries, each one seeming a cruel, cosmic slight. Murphy is aware of the perception, the idea that things could have turned out differently, that his career could have carried him on a different path. But he disagrees with it. "I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be," said Murphy, who is reaching the midpoint of what appears to be another vexing season. Murphy, 27, has looked awkward in the field and has made nine errors at second base, a position once considered too dangerous for him to play, considering his limited athleticism. He has been stymied at the plate, where he has batted .203 since going 0 for 4 during a May 19 game in Toronto. Until this past Wednesday, he had no home runs. "I need to get better," Murphy said. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about that. I need to get better. Still, Murphy projects an uncommon air of serenity this season. Even as he admitted his shortcomings, he described the season as "unbelievable" and "extremely enjoyable." His current state of mind, he said, could be traced to a choice he made last fall, as he was rehabilitating his most recent injury, to devote his life to Christianity. He needed to be more humble, he decided. He needed to untether his identity from the game, to untie his mood from the scorecard. "For a long time, if I got hits, I was happy, if I didn't get hits, I was unhappy," Murphy said. That's how I evaluated my self worth. The process has not been easy for a person whose life has been defined by baseball for the last decade and a half. Murphy is particularly devoted to the science of hitting, and his success rests on the idea that he can improve himself through rigorous self-control. "The reason most of the guys have gotten into this room is our pride - the pride we have to not want to fail, to do what it takes to win," Murphy said. I'm supposed to relinquish that now? It's hard not to be in control. That's my nature. The inner peace he believes he has found did not come easily. He has had to withstand bumps, bruises, insults and injuries along the way. To him, they have been necessary components for his growth. After making his debut for the Mets as a left fielder in 2008, Murphy entered the 2010 season as the Mets" presumed starting first baseman. But he injured his right knee during a rundown in spring training, opening the door for Ike Davis to claim the position that April. While working his way back that summer, this time as a second baseman, he tore a ligament in the knee during a double-play collision. Again, Murphy worked his way back, and he was batting .320 through July 2011 when he sustained another season-ending knee injury while defending a steal at second. The rehabilitation process was particularly devastating, but it spurred the moment he said he "came to the Lord," as well as process of rapid maturation. "I've found the struggles are cyclical," Murphy said. I feel like I've got it figured out, and then I don't. I never do. But hopefully, each time, that cycle gets shorter. He added: "But as far as how I feel inside compared to last year? There's peace. Murphy's inner peace has not wholly coincided with positive production on the field. He has looked unbalanced at times at the plate, as opposing pitchers have exploited his weaknesses. Through Thursday, he was batting .274 with an on-base plus slugging percentage of .692. "I think he's focused so much on staying in the middle of the field and hitting the ball the other way that the adjustment has been made to pitch him inside a little more," said Dave Hudgens, the Mets hitting coach. So now he has to adjust, getting the barrel of the bat inside on those pitches with more consistency. Hitting slumps are more poignant for players like Murphy, who cannot justify their spot on a team with their defense. Murphy's fielding percentage, .969, was the third worst among regular second baseman. Manager Terry Collins has questioned this season whether Murphy has hurt himself with incessant tinkering. Since joining the organization in 2010, he has had an up-close view of Murphy's ups and downs, and he has been encouraged by what he has seen. "I've seen him the two and a half years that I've been around him, and all he's ever done is worked very, very hard at whatever he's supposed to do," Collins said. Play first? He was killing himself to play first. Hit? He's working at it. And now, amid the struggles and inconsistency, Murphy is working hard to remain at peace.