Tom Murphy, Austin Nola To Share Time Behind Plate
5 years agoSeattle Mariners catcher Tom Murphy should see more of the playing time behind the plate this year, but manager Scott Servais said that backup Austin Nola will also see plenty of time. Nola mostly played first base in 2019, but he'll strictly work at catcher in 2020. "Everybody says, 'Oh, Murphy is the starting catcher.’ He’ll start Opening Night, probably. We’ll see. But those guys are going to be more of a 55-45 [percent split]. They’re both going to play a very similar amount," Servais said. Murphy hit .273/.324/.535 with 18 homers and 40 RBI in 75 games, so he certainly has power that will make him relevant in two-catcher leagues. Nola could become interesting in those formats as well if Murphy misses time with an injury.
Source: MLB.com - Greg Johns
Source: MLB.com - Greg Johns