Drafted in the 5th round (144th overall) by the San Francisco Giants in 2020 (signed for $22,500).
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Murphy was a stalwart of Division II Le Moyne’s rotation for three years, piling up 215 strikeouts and just 44 walks in 203.2 innings. His impressive performance carried over into last summer in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, where he led the circuit in ERA (2.25) and was named pitcher of the year. Murphy’s fastball sits around 90 mph with a high spin rate, and he mixes in a slider and changeup, though his offspeed offerings are below average. He fills up the strike zone, which helps his stuff play up.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
Track Record: Murphy followed current Nationals righthander Josiah Gray as the ace at Division II Le Moyne and was drafted by the Giants in the fifth and final round of the shortened 2020 draft. He signed for just $22,500 and immediately made the Giants look astute by striking out 164 hitters across the Class A levels in his pro debut, third-most in the minor leagues. Murphy's encore in 2022 was disrupted by back spasms and elbow inflammation that limited him to just 43.2 innings, but he did reach Double-A.
Scouting Report: None of Murphy's pitches stand out in a vacuum, but he does an excellent job of mixing and matching four pitches to keep hitters off balance. Murphy's fastball sits 91-92 mph and peaks at 94 and plays up because he locates it well. His upper-70s curveball and low-80s slider are both average pitches and his changeup is a fringy but usable fourth offering. While none are overwhelming, Murphy does a good job tunneling his pitches off one another to keep hitters guessing and get swings and misses. He ran into control issues prior to going on the IL but has plus control when he's healthy. Murphy has a slighter build and has pitched more than 100 innings in a season only once, but he stuck around the Giants' spring training complex over the winter to learn how to better manage a full-season's workload.
The Future: Murphy has a chance to be a No. 5 starter and should at least be a usable swingman or bulk reliever. He'll open 2023 back at Double-A.
Track Record: Murphy’s emergence was one of the best stories of the Giants’ season in the minors. The fifth-rounder out of Division II Le Moyne (N.Y)—the same program that produced Nationals righthander Josiah Gray—rushed his way through both levels of Class A and put himself on the map in a big way. His 164 strikeouts were the third-most in the minors (but second in his own system behind Carson Ragsdale) despite the fact he missed time toward season’s end with a minor injury.
Scouting Report: None of Murphy’s pitches is a knockout by any means, but his ability to command them in and out of the strike zone while relentlessly attacking hitters allows his whole arsenal to play up. Murphy works with a full four-pitch complement, fronted by a low-90s fastball that peaks at 95 mph. His fastball shows above-average spin, above-average to plus break in both directions and is thrown at a deceptive angle. Murphy’s primary offspeed is a low-80s slider which plays well analytically in terms of both horizontal and vertical break. He rounds out the arsenal with a mid-80s changeup and a low-80s curveball with excellent depth. Murphy also gets some deception from an unorthodox delivery. All of his pitches play up because of his plus control and strong command in all quadrants of the strike zone.
The Future: Despite his success, Murphy still faces skepticism because of a lack of a true standout pitch. He’ll be tested in 2022 at Double-A Richmond, which will help make his ceiling clearer.
Scouting Reports
BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
Track Record: Murphy followed current Nationals righthander Josiah Gray as the ace at Division II Le Moyne and was drafted by the Giants in the fifth and final round of the shortened 2020 draft. He signed for just $22,500 and immediately made the Giants look astute by striking out 164 hitters across the Class A levels in his pro debut, third-most in the minor leagues. Murphy's encore in 2022 was disrupted by back spasms and elbow inflammation that limited him to just 43.2 innings, but he did reach Double-A.
Scouting Report: None of Murphy's pitches stand out in a vacuum, but he does an excellent job of mixing and matching four pitches to keep hitters off balance. Murphy's fastball sits 91-92 mph and peaks at 94 and plays up because he locates it well. His upper-70s curveball and low-80s slider are both average pitches and his changeup is a fringy but usable fourth offering. While none are overwhelming, Murphy does a good job tunneling his pitches off one another to keep hitters guessing and get swings and misses. He ran into control issues prior to going on the IL but has plus control when he's healthy. Murphy has a slighter build and has pitched more than 100 innings in a season only once, but he stuck around the Giants' spring training complex over the winter to learn how to better manage a full-season's workload.
The Future: Murphy has a chance to be a No. 5 starter and should at least be a usable swingman or bulk reliever. He'll open 2023 back at Double-A.
Track Record: Murphy followed current Nationals righthander Josiah Gray as the ace at Division II Le Moyne and was drafted by the Giants in the fifth and final round of the shortened 2020 draft. He signed for just $22,500 and immediately made the Giants look astute by striking out 164 hitters across the Class A levels in his pro debut, third-most in the minor leagues. Murphy's encore in 2022 was disrupted by back spasms and elbow inflammation that limited him to just 43.2 innings, but he did reach Double-A.
Scouting Report: None of Murphy's pitches stand out in a vacuum, but he does an excellent job of mixing and matching four pitches to keep hitters off balance. Murphy's fastball sits 91-92 mph and peaks at 94 and plays up because he locates it well. His upper-70s curveball and low-80s slider are both average pitches and his changeup is a fringy but usable fourth offering. While none are overwhelming, Murphy does a good job tunneling his pitches off one another to keep hitters guessing and get swings and misses. He ran into control issues prior to going on the IL but has plus control when he's healthy. Murphy has a slighter build and has pitched more than 100 innings in a season only once, but he stuck around the Giants' spring training complex over the winter to learn how to better manage a full-season's workload.
The Future: Murphy has a chance to be a No. 5 starter and should at least be a usable swingman or bulk reliever. He'll open 2023 back at Double-A.
August Update: Murphy's season has been derailed twice by injuries. He missed the early portion of the season with a back injury, and now is on the shelf with inflammation in his right elbow. In all, he's been limited to just 39.2 innings, including two starts with Double-A Richmond.
Track Record: Murphy's emergence was one of the best stories of the Giants' season in the minors. The fifth-rounder out of Division II Le Moyne (N.Y)—the same program that produced Nationals righthander Josiah Gray—rushed his way through both levels of Class A and put himself on the map in a big way. His 164 strikeouts were the third-most in the minors (but second in his own system behind Carson Ragsdale) despite the fact he missed time toward season's end with a minor injury.
Scouting Report: None of Murphy's pitches is a knockout by any means, but his ability to command them in and out of the strike zone while relentlessly attacking hitters allows his whole arsenal to play up. Murphy works with a full four-pitch complement, fronted by a low-90s fastball that peaks at 95 mph. His fastball shows above-average spin, above-average to plus break in both directions and is thrown at a deceptive angle. Murphy's primary offspeed is a low-80s slider which plays well analytically in terms of both horizontal and vertical break. He rounds out the arsenal with a mid-80s changeup and a low-80s curveball with excellent depth. Murphy also gets some deception from an unorthodox delivery. All of his pitches play up because of his plus control and strong command in all quadrants of the strike zone.
The Future: Despite his success, Murphy still faces skepticism because of a lack of a true standout pitch. He'll be tested in 2022 at Double-A Richmond, which will help make his ceiling clearer.
Track Record: Murphy’s emergence was one of the best stories of the Giants’ season in the minors. The fifth-rounder out of Division II Le Moyne (N.Y)—the same program that produced Nationals righthander Josiah Gray—rushed his way through both levels of Class A and put himself on the map in a big way. His 164 strikeouts were the third-most in the minors (but second in his own system behind Carson Ragsdale) despite the fact he missed time toward season’s end with a minor injury.
Scouting Report: None of Murphy’s pitches is a knockout by any means, but his ability to command them in and out of the strike zone while relentlessly attacking hitters allows his whole arsenal to play up. Murphy works with a full four-pitch complement, fronted by a low-90s fastball that peaks at 95 mph. His fastball shows above-average spin, above-average to plus break in both directions and is thrown at a deceptive angle. Murphy’s primary offspeed is a low-80s slider which plays well analytically in terms of both horizontal and vertical break. He rounds out the arsenal with a mid-80s changeup and a low-80s curveball with excellent depth. Murphy also gets some deception from an unorthodox delivery. All of his pitches play up because of his plus control and strong command in all quadrants of the strike zone.
The Future: Despite his success, Murphy still faces skepticism because of a lack of a true standout pitch. He’ll be tested in 2022 at Double-A Richmond, which will help make his ceiling clearer.
Murphy was the Giants' fifth-round pick in the shortened 2020 draft, out of Le Moyne (N.Y.) College. He's carved up the Low-A West League, especially in July, when he strung together four consecutive starts of double-digit strikeouts. As the season has gone on, he's learned how to better optimize his fastball up in the zone to help it play off of his slider to get plenty of whiffs.
Career Transactions
Richmond Flying Squirrels placed RHP Ryan Murphy on the 7-day injured list.
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