With most of the Braves premier talent graduating or being traded away over the last few seasons, the guys worth watching are the most recent draft picks at the lower levels. Last week, I highlighted JR Ritchie, who dominated over three perfect innings for Augusta Green Jackets. He was the 35th overall selection in the draft last year out of high school, and this week, I’ll be focusing on the arm that was taken with the Braves first selection in the same draft class, right-hander Owen Murphy.
Murphy made his first appearance of the year last weekend, tossing four scoreless innings with six strikeouts. He allowed just two hits, one walk, and no runs, which he followed up with an equally impressive performance, striking out five more over 3.1 scoreless innings on Friday night.
Owen Murphy, the Braves #2 prospects over at @BatteryPowerSBN, starts his season off strong by striking out the side (one walk) in the first for the @GreenJackets pic.twitter.com/bVasc4FyKk
— Gaurav (@gvedak) April 15, 2023
Murphy had legitimate two-way potential coming out of high school and was committed to play baseball at Notre Dame before the Braves drafted him in the first round. They see him as a potential frontline MLB pitcher, featuring a fastball that already sits in the mid-90s and a quality four-pitch mix that also includes a changeup, slider, and curveball.
At just 19-years-old, Murphy has a long time before he’ll be ready for Atlanta, but he’s already a name worth monitoring every time he toes the rubber. I’m hopeful his fastball velocity can continue to increase as his body fills out with age, but his four-pitch mix and control are already enough to be excited about. The Braves currently don’t have any top 100 prospects in their organization, but that could change by the end of the year with guys like Murphy and Ritchie emerging onto the scene.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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