There’s an old adage that says sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make. Never was that more true than in the case of Daniel Murphy.

As crucial as Murphy has been to the Nationals' early success, it’s easy to forget that he wasn’t the team’s first choice at second base. Truth be told, he wasn't their second choice either. He was the fallback to the fallback. The guy behind the guy behind the guy. So if you're keeping score at home, the Nationals’ Plan B could technically be considered a Plan C.

Funny how things work out.

The Nats went into this past offseason knowing full well that they needed a second baseman. Anthony Rendon, a third baseman by trade, played second last year, but the idea was to move him back to the hot corner and find someone new to man second. Preferably, that someone new would be a lefty hitter -- someone who could help balance a Washington lineup that had become more right-handed than your standard pair of elementary-school scissors. A top-of-the-order type would be nice, too.

Ben Zobrist, a switch-hitting on-base machine who helped the Royals win a World Series and who plays roughly 53 different positions, was a free agent. Naturally, the Nats wanted in. But like seemingly everyone else on the market this winter, Zobrist chose to sign with the Cubs.

Brandon Phillips, a speedy three-time All-Star who spent six seasons playing for Dusty Baker in Cincinnati, was not a free agent and does not hit left-handed. Still, Washington wanted in. But in mid-December, Phillips nixed a trade that was reportedly a done deal and would have reunited him with his old skipper in D.C.

The following week, on Christmas Eve, the Nats inked Murphy to a three-year, $37.5 million deal.

At the time, it seemed like a weird signing. For starters, Murphy was a longtime division rival. He was drafted by the Mets, came up with the Mets, played his entire career with the Mets.

Beyond that, he was a mediocre defender who didn’t have leadoff capability. What’s more, with Murphy coming off a magical postseason run where he homered in six consecutive games and was named MVP of the NLCS, the deal had a certain buy-high feel to it. Like maybe Washington and GM Mike Rizzo had become a little desperate after whiffing on Plan A. And Plan B. After all, despite the playoff heroics, the Mets had kicked Murphy to the curb. And it wasn’t like teams were lining up to sign him either.

Five months later, Murphy looks like Ted Williams and Rizzo looks like a genius.

Through the first seven weeks of the season, Murphy’s .387 average is the best in the majors. He also ranks among the NL leaders in hits (63, first), doubles (14, T-3), extra-base hits (22, T-4), slugging (.607, third), and OPS (1.028, second). Although he’s not going yard every game like he did in last year’s playoffs, he has provided plenty of power -- his six homers are tied for second on the team and he’s on pace for a career-high 22 bombs -- while still managing to maintain his knack for making contact (10.8 percent K rate, seventh lowest in the NL).

Not too shabby for a contingency plan.

That's not to say that Murphy has been wartless in Washington. As advertised, he's less than stellar at second base. After a surprisingly clean start to the season, he has committed four errors in the last 10 games and has now accounted for minus-3 runs saved on the year (second worst among NL second basemen). But those forecasted field foibles are a whole lot easier to stomach given his prolific plate production.

Just how good has Murphy’s bat been? So good that recently, with longtime cleanup man Ryan Zimmerman struggling and teams simply pitching around Bryce Harper, Baker decided to make Murphy his new four-hole hitter -- a job that, when it comes to safeguarding important people in D.C., is right up there with being a Secret Service agent. So good that when he returned to Citi Field for the first time last week with his batting average at an even .400, it was near impossible to find an empty seat at his pregame news conference, even though the cavernous room it was held in was roughly the size of an airplane hangar. So good that later that evening, after he received a standing ovation from Mets fans in his first at-bat, he was roundly booed his next time up, a uniquely New York show of respect.

“I wouldn’t expect them to cheer me for the next 20 times we see each other,” Murphy said after last Tuesday’s series opener, which Washington lost 2-0 before taking the final two contests by a combined 16-2 score. “They’re wearing orange and blue, and I’ve got the red on now.”

Monday night in D.C, where the first-place Nationals kick off another three-game set against the second-place Mets, the crowd will be predominantly red. Even though a recent “cold” spell -- he’s hitting only .304 over the past week-- has dropped Murphy’s average, it should be all cheers for him at Nats Park.

Because that’s how you treat the best plan B ever.