Meet Murf Gray: Fresno State’s Top MLB Draft Prospect Since Aaron Judge
Image credit: Murf Gray (Photo Courtesy of Fresno State athletics)
A sea of young Fresno State fans are lined up around a chain link fence at Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium. They extend their arms holding baseballs, hats and jerseys, eagerly hoping to get an autograph from Diamond ‘Dogs star player Triston ‘Murf’ Gray.
Whether it’s a win or a loss, or if the session will take five minutes or one hour, Gray dedicates time to sign and have a meaningful conversation with every fan. After all, he knows the importance of these interactions.
“My mom always says ‘You were that kid at some point,’” Gray said. “Being there for the kids after the game means everything. For me, it’s just a small thing that happens. But for them, it means the world. It can change one person’s life.”
Gray dreamed of playing for the Bulldogs. Now that it’s a reality, he’s become the team’s highest-ranked draft prospect since Aaron Judge. Gray brings impressive explosiveness to the plate for a player of his size. He has plus bat speed, showing his above-average power to all fields, though it can be used to a higher potential as he continues to refine his approach. His bat-to-ball skills are elite, as evidenced by a 95% in-zone contact rate, including a 97% rate against fastballs.
“He’s definitely made some adjustments since arriving,” said Fresno State head coach Ryan Overland. “Being able to drive balls out to all the areas of the field is something not a lot of guys can do at this stage. And that’s helped him make a big jump as a player.”
Overland, who was an assistant coach at Fresno State during Judge’s 2013 draft year, sees some similarities between the two players at this stage of their careers. Both are complete hitters that provide a lot of thump to the bat with their crisp swing while knowing how to use the entire field to their advantage.
But in Overland’s 14 years coaching at Fresno State, Gray and Judge’s similar approaches to baseball and life stands out even more than their loud power.
“They both have personalities that people gravitate toward,” Overland said. “Just the way they work, and they have fun doing it, too. They make sure the teammates are part of everything, and being one of the guys, which isn’t that easy to do sometimes.”
Gray immediately made an impact with the Bulldogs by being named 2023 Mountain West freshman of the year. In his second season, the 21-year-old led the Bulldogs to a Mountain West championship and their first regional series since 2019.
Gray’s parents, Monet and Fernando, made sure they set an example for their five children about the importance of hard work. They both worked full-time blue collar jobs and drove throughout California to help their boys pursue their dreams.
As a middle child, Gray got to learn from his older brothers, Darien and Jalen. In turn, he became a mentor to his younger brothers, Nathan and Ryan. Family dynamics have shaped Gray and, thanks to the support of the people around him, it’s helped him reach the platform for which he has worked for his entire life.
It’s even embedded in his nickname, which was inspired by the character Murphy “Murph” Reynolds from the movie Like Mike. Gray’s family noticed a resemblance between him and Reynolds, particularly in their shared caring nature and selfless qualities. It couldn’t have been a more perfect fit with how Gray has matured over the years.
“Murf is the one that has that nurturing side of him,” Gray’s mother Monet said.”When you see him out and about and he’s enjoying the kids and signing the autographs, it’s out of actual love for being the inspiration. He has so much loyalty to those who support him.”
That sense of loyalty and selflessness was evident in high school. Madera, a small farming community just 23 miles from Fresno State, doesn’t have a rich athletic history. Most scouts targeted Fresno and Clovis area programs, where schools actively recruited Gray to come play for them.
Yet, instead of taking the guaranteed exposure increase, Gray chose to remain at Madera South High, which at the time hadn’t produced a Division I college athlete. Gray’s reasoning? He wanted to make sure the rest of his teammates also had the opportunity to be seen by other college coaches.
It turns out, almonds and grapes aren’t the only things that can grow in Madera. With the right support system around, the next crop of baseball talent can bloom. With Gray on the mound for the title game, Madera South won the 2022 Division IV California Interscholastic Federation central section championship, the school’s first baseball title in its history.
Gray hopes his accomplishments in Madera and at Fresno State lay out a blueprint for what aspiring athletes from smaller towns in the Valley can fulfill.
“I think we’re overlooked,” Gray said. “The smaller cities around the Valley, people don’t look at it, there’s talent there. All they see is a small, little city that you pass through within maybe a minute or two.”
Gray hit .297/.338/.495 as a freshman and .296/.358/.504 with 10 home runs as a sophomore with the Bulldogs. It was his work in the Cape Cod League this past summer that further raised his stock nationally, as he hit .329/.367/.500 with five home runs for Wareham. He ranked sixth on Baseball America’s ranking of the top 25 prospects in the Cape Cod League.
With a crucial junior season ahead of him, Gray isn’t focused on what could happen to him beyond Fresno State. He’s concentrated on making sure his teammates can meet the high standards set by the Diamond ‘Dogs program.
“We’re here to get after it, but we can also have fun,” Gray said. “But we got to know that when teams come to our house, it’s our crib. We have to do whatever we can to protect the Diamond ‘Dogs, the dynasty we have going.
“Wherever we go, we need to put on for Fresno.”
Through every autograph signed, home run hit or victory won, Gray always remembers what matters the most—the opportunity he has to impact people’s lives through his platform, the people who supported him and the community he represents with the name stitched across his chest.
