The talented star hit 38 home runs in 807 plate appearances while playing for Seattle. He had far above-average offensive in one of the more pitcher-friendly home parks in the league, hitting.250/.324/.460 overall. Excellent output for a #2 catcher, that. Murphy has only reached base 807 times in the previous five years, which also suggests a worrisome injury history.
The Buffalo product has missed time due to an injured left thumb, a dislocated left shoulder, and a fractured left foot since the beginning of 2020. He was only able to play in 14 games in 2022 due to a shoulder ailment, and he missed the entire season due to a foot injury. His season terminated in mid-August due to a thumb injury from the previous season.
It’s simple to understand the appeal of signing Murphy to a very cheap contract, even with his history of injuries. He’ll provide a respectable amount of strength as Patrick Bailey’s 24-year-old backup. There aren’t many depth catchers with the same kind of slugging potential as Murphy, but he will also strike out a good lot.
On the opposite side of the ball, people don’t hold the 32-year-old (33 in April) in such high regard. He received a below-average rating from Statcast for both blocking and framing. In 2023, he only successfully threw away one out of every 28 basestealers. Statcast placed Murphy 69th out of 74 catchers (minimum 10 throws) in terms of average pop time to second base, while a pitcher’s ability to hold runners is also a factor.
The signing of Murphy might mean that Joey Bart’s stay in San Francisco is about to expire. Bart was selected second overall in 2018 and has only played in 162 big league games, hitting.219/.288/.335 overall. His minor league option season ended this year, thus San Francisco will either need to keep him on the MLB roster or make him available to other clubs through a trade or waiver.
