Sean Murphy is destroying the baseball lately
Sean Murphy has been on the radar since he was picked by the A’s in the third round of the 2016 draft. Despite injuries in each season from 2016-19, his talent put him on the fast track to the bigs.
Entering this season, Murphy knew the starting job was his. No more Josh Phegley or any other veteran catcher to consult. Murphy got his 20 games in last year and got the keys to call games for the top team in the American League West.
Taking a look at his numbers since the A’s restart in September, it’s safe to say Murphy has been the team’s best hitter this month. He’s slashing .346/.485/.808 with 4 dingers, 8 RBIs and a 7/6 BB/K ratio in 33 plate appearances. Not bad for a rookie catcher with a lot on his plate.
have yall seen Sean Murphy’s slash line in September?
New blog
https://t.co/3fdD3ESTLq pic.twitter.com/ysOnJD0AAo
— The Rickey Henderson of Blogs (@RickeyBlog) September 17, 2020
All season long, Murphy’s had some impressive home runs. But none were better than this monster he hit in Texas on Sept. 11, going 464 feet, the longest for any A’s dinger this season.
Longest homer by the A’s this year at 464 feet! Just listen to this one from Sean Murphy daaaaamn
pic.twitter.com/Boag8l5Cfg
— The Rickey Henderson of Blogs (@RickeyBlog) September 12, 2020
What I love about Murphy’s swing is the huge torque he gets. He’s listed at 6-foot-3, 228 pounds and he uses every bit of his frame when he really destroys a baseball.
It appears Bob Melvin is noticing, too. Murphy vaulted up to the No. 6 spot on Monday vs. the Mariners, before batting seventh vs. the Rockies on Wednesday. Otherwise, he had spent 27 of his previous 28 games batting in the No. 8 or 9 spots.
With Matt Chapman out for the season, BoMel might as well keep Murphy higher up in the lineup. He’s the best right-handed bat the team has right now and I’d love to see him bat in the No. 5 spot behind Matt Olson and see if he can get some more RBI opportunities, because lately he is producing.
Sean Murphy continues to be good at baseball. 3 RBIs tonight to set a new career high pic.twitter.com/SBRb3l6yCm
— The Rickey Henderson of Blogs (@RickeyBlog) September 8, 2020
Not to mention he’s got a hose behind the plate.
is the book out on Murphy yet? dude’s got a cannon pic.twitter.com/AHvNOR1yOz
— The Rickey Henderson of Blogs (@RickeyBlog) August 25, 2020
For what it’s worth, the team is 19-9 in games he starts and 12-10 in games he doesn’t. The A’s might have expected Murphy to have this sort of impact on their team, but in September 2020? He’s arriving at a great time with the playoffs coming up soon.
