Blue Jays Ink 3rd Rnd Pick Patrick Murphy

Feb 24, 2013; Dunedin, FL, USA; A detailed view of the Toronto Blue Jays logo before a spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles at Florida Auto Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY SportsShortly after the Blue Jays came to an agreement with 4th Round selection Evan Smith, Toronto also got word that 3rd round pick Patrick Murphy would be signing on the dotted line.

Toronto selected Murphy with the 83rd selection of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft. The 6’4″, 210lb left-hander agreed to a signing bonus of $500,000, well below the recommended slot of $650,800, according to Jim Callis at Baseball America (via Twitter).

As our good friend, and fellow staff writer, Jay Blue details in his draft report, Patrick Murphy is somewhat of a “wild card” selection. Just 1-year removed from Tommy John surgery, Murphy did not pitch at all during his senior year of high school.

However, the Blue Jays must have felt that Murphy was worth the risk, and would obviously sign below slot, hence using the 3rd round selection.

When he was on the mound, Murphy featured a low to mid-90’s fastball and has an advanced handle on both the change-up and curve ball as well. Prior to the draft, Murphy had a commitment to pitching at the University of Oregon.

With the quick signing, the Blue Jays will likely see where his arm is at health-wise, and then assign him to Dunedin to further evaluate his status and get some innings in this summer. If all goes well, he could see time in the Fall Instructional League (h/t Jays Blue).