Sean Murphy was the prized acquisition for the Braves this offseason and, after a slow start, he’s looking like possibly the best catcher in baseball.
During the start of his career with the Oakland A’s, Sean Murphy was considered an unheralded gem. He established himself quickly as one of baseball’s best defensive catchers and showed high-end potential at the plate. But in a lineup largely devoid of talent and, more importantly, protection, Murphy’s time at the plate in Oakland left something to be desired.
When he was traded to the Atlanta Braves this offseason, though, the hope and hype around the newcomer was that the loaded lineup of the 2021 World Series champions would allow him to reach his potential finally with the lumber.
Early in his Braves tenure, though, that didn’t come to fruition. Through his first seven games in Atlanta, Murphy was only hitting .150 with no homers and only one extra-base hit. The silver lining was that he did have an on-base percentage just below .400, but fans needed to see bat on ball to believe that the catcher was worth the preseason hype.
On Tuesday night in San Diego, he showed the fans, the Padres and the baseball world exactly how good he has been since that sluggish start with a solo home run blasted into left field to give the Braves a 2-0 lead.
White-hot Sean Murphy is living up to every bit of the hype with the Braves
Since that inauspicious start to his time in Atlanta, Murphy has been mashing. In the seven games since the first seven appearances (not including Tuesday against the Padres), Murphy slashed .333/.438/.889 with all nine of his hits going for extra bases, including three home runs and 11 RBI.
He obviously added to all of that with a walk in the second inning and then the solo shot in the fourth frame.
The Braves have been the hottest team in baseball with the Rays cooling off lately and, playing among three potential MVP candidates in Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson and Austin Riley, Murphy is putting his name into that conversation as well.
Murphy has clearly found his groove, when Atlanta needed it badly too with the injuries to Travis d’Arnaud, Michael Harris II and Orlando Arcia, over the past week-plus and is showing the signs of the hitter the club and fans hoped we’d see with the change of scenery this offseason. When you then combine that with his elite defensive prowess, this is an easy All-Star caliber player, if not more.
There are obviously ebbs and flows for any player in a 162-game season. But if Murphy can keep raking this way, or even at a more sustainable level, then he will have a strong case as the best catcher in baseball, a guy who can do it all — and another absolute steal for the Braves.