Former WSU baseball player Sean Murphy was ranked as the fourth best catching prospect by MLB.com this past week.
Murphy started as a walk on at WSU, but quickly showed he belonged on a division one baseball team by winning the Horizon League freshman of the year in 2014. By 2016, he was considered one of the best catching prospects in the entire country, particularly because of his defense and tremendous arm strength. He was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the third round that year.
MLB.com ranks players based on five “tools”: hitting, hitting with power, speed, arm strength and fielding ability. For each category, a player is given a projection grade of 20-80, with 80 being the best. The 80 grade is seldom seen because it means that player is projected to be one of the best players in MLB in that particular skill.
Murphy was given grades of 45 in hitting, 50 in power, 40 in speed, 70 in arm strength and 65 in fielding. As explained earlier, his grades of 70 and 65 are rare, and further support his projection to be an elite defender when he reaches the major league level.
MLB.com released a scouting report on Murphy praising his defensive skills, while also saying he may be a better hitter than advertised.
“Offensively, Murphy possesses an intriguing blend of power potential and on-base skills from the right side of the plate. There’s some natural hitting ability there too, and he proved comfortable using the entire field in his first full season. Even if his production is only modest, Murphy’s defensive chops alone could make him an everyday catcher at the highest level”.
MLB.com also projects that Murphy will be in the major leagues in 2019, but with Murphy reaching the AA level last year, it’s we could see him in an Athletics uniform this coming season.
