Daniel Murphy Signs With Angels In Comeback Attempt, May Be Forced To Keep Religious Beliefs To Himself If He Wants To Make It

Daniel Murphy was one of baseball's best hitters for several years in the mid-2010s.

His 2016 season with the Washington Nationals was especially outstanding, with a 154 wRC+ and 5.0 fWAR.

But after the impressive run in New York and D.C., he struggled with the Colorado Rockies in 2019 and 2020. Now, he's attempting a comeback.

Murphy had been playing independent ball, but just recently signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

“Honestly, I didn’t know until a week or so ago that he was playing,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said when asked about Murphy. “It sounds like he looks good. He’s been swinging the bat. We’ll see what we got when he goes out and plays.”

But the biggest story with Murphy might actually be off the field.

Back in 2015, he made news by openly discussing his religious beliefs and disapproval of what he described as a "lifestyle."

Even then, in an amazing display of hypocrisy, Murphy was essentially told to stick to sports. The exact same mantra that the left mockingly derides when those on the right criticize woke athletes like LeBron James.

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 08: Daniel Murphy #9 of the Colorado Rockies at bat during the second inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 8, 2019 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)

Daniel Murphy Shows How Quickly Sports Have Changed

While Murphy's religious beliefs are shared by many, they're essentially no longer allowed in public settings. Especially around sporstwriters.

And there may be no better example of that then the recent Anthony Bass release and the Los Angeles Dodgers honoring an anti-Catholic drag group.

Bass expressed support for boycotts of Target and Bud Light, and sportswriters went absolutely ballistic.

Writers from the Toronto Star and The Athletic in particular went after the team for not immediately releasing him for deviating from acceptable progressive opinion.

READ: LIBERAL SPORTSWRITERS HELP PUNISH BLUE JAYS PITCHER ANTHONY BASS FOR THE CRIME OF UPSETTING THE LEFT

The Dodgers, meanwhile, essentially told Christians and Catholics that, to the organization, their beliefs come last.

After initially making the correct decision to disinvite an obviously anti-Catholic group, they caved to pressure from left wing writers and activist groups.

The clear indication from both these actions is that religious beliefs are now anathema to both the establishment sports media and the organizations they cover.

How can Murphy hope to make a comeback in this environment?

Hall monitors on the left use every weapon of outrage at their disposal to enforce universal compliance with their belief system. Murphy's beliefs contradict those views, and therefore must be hidden.

America was founded on the ideal of religious freedom. But as we see virtually every day in the modern world, there is a new version of religious dominance sweeping the country.

Contradicting the dictates of progressives and their allies in the media deserves immediate excommunication. Openly religious athletes like Murphy now walk a razor thin line.

Will he stay on the right side of it if his comeback is successful?