Mueller Minute: The Legend of Jack Murphy grows

This time of year always give me mixed emotions. Spring Training is just around the corner and all my favourite baseball sites are releasing their Top Prospect lists. Year after year we wait with baited anticipation to read all about our team’s future stars. It sparks debates about who was left of the list, about how high this prospect was ranked and when prospect blah blah blah will make it to the majors. These discussions are great and help us pass the final weeks of the off-season, but really that’s all they’re good for. The minor leagues are stocked with guys that don’t appear on any of these list, yet are equally deserving of a chance to ply their trade as a Major League baseball player.

Jack Murphy is one such player.

Jack’s full name is John Joseph Murphy and he was born in Sarasota Florida, but may have been adopted by Australia. Somewhat of a cult hero in the ABL (Australian Baseball League), Murphy’s put up impressive number over the past three Australian summers (our winter) earning three consecutive All-Star selections. Since Baseball Reference has yet to update his page here are his 2012 and 2013 numbers as a member of the Canberra Cavalry.

2014/15 saw Jack Murphy continued his assault on ABL pitching with another impressive season. He led the league in RBI with 37, finished 3rd with a .353 BA in 40GP. Murphy ended the year in the top 10 of most offensive categories, which earned him the Canaberra MVP, Player’s Player and Silver Slugger awards.

Murphy finished with 153 AB, 54H, 11 doubles, 6HR, 37RBI, 17BB, 22K, .353BA, .413OBP, .542SLG, .955OPS and the praise of Cavalry coach Michael Collins.

Sports report at the Canberra Times, David Polkinghorne, reported,

"Canberra Cavalry coach Michael Collins says all Jack Murphy needs to play Major League Baseball is for the Toronto Blue Jays to give him a chance."

Collins went on to say,

"Murphy had taken his game to another level this summer and felt he was knocking on the door of a Major League call-up. He’s definitely ready to, it just now becomes a matter of if he can fight for his opportunities to prove himself. He’s been that back-up-type, which is fine, and obviously he’d like to play a little bit more and I think he’s ready to, it’s just a matter of getting that opportunity to show what he is capable of doing."

That is high praise, praise that sounds very similar to the praise Sal Fasano handed out in a piece written by very talented Alexis Brundnicki last year.

"“Murph’s a guy who pitchers love throwing to, so what I expect from him is to continue with that same path,” the 11-year big leaguer said. ” And Murph’s going to play in the big leagues. It’s just a matter of time and then an opportunity. I think as long as he stays consistent with his work and he keeps working hard, he’ll be just fine. Sometimes he’s always stuck behind a prospect, but a lot of times those guys get opportunities. You’ve just got to be patient about it. So I’m hoping he gets an opportunity first, but I think the way he handles the pitching staff and the way he calls a game, he’s going to do a pretty good job.”"

That’s some high praise for a career .246 hitter. We need to look past his numbers to find his true value. The praise given by better baseball minds than yours or mine allow us to do that. We’ll have the opportunity to see Jack Murphy in spring training as he was one of the recent non-roster invitees announced in late January.

Projection

It is very unlikely that Toronto will see Jack Murphy in 2015. Martin, Thole, and Navarro will be occupying the starting catcher, RA Dickey’s personal catcher, and DH/back-up roles in Toronto. All indications are that A.J. Jimenez will assume the starting role in Buffalo, with Jack Murphy being slotted in as his back-up. Derrick Chung and a healthy Sean Ochinko could sneak up and steal AB’s from Jack as the summer progresses.

Get to know more about Jack Murphy

Good luck in 2015 Jack.