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Sean Murphy 2020 Outlook: Cheap Source of Power
5 years agoThere are a number of prospects that have really thrived with the “offense-enhancing” balls now being used in Triple-A and the Majors. Sean Murphy is one of those prospects. He’s tapped into his raw power in the past as witnessed by his 13 home runs in 98 games in 2017 but he took it to a whole new level in 2019. He slugged 11 homers in 41 games — while battling significant injuries. Murphy then hit four home runs in 20 MLB games. In fact, nine of his 13 hits went for extra bases. Just how good of a hitter he’ll be for average remains to be seen but there are reasons for optimism. He strikes out a bit but offsets it with a good number of walks and also hits the ball very hard. The starting gig behind the plate in Oakland is Murphy’s to win in the spring and there is no reason to expect he won’t see the majority of the starts in 2020. We need to be a little cautious with him from a durability standpoint because he’s never played 100 games in a season but he has a chance to provide some solid offense from the catcher’s slot for a limited investment.
