Tom Murphy (murphto04)

Thomas James Murphy

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 220 lb.
• School University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
• High School Paul V. Moore High School
• Debut September 12, 2015

• Born April 3, 1991 in West Monroe, NY USA

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Biographical Information

Tom Murphy had the first multi-homer game of his career on September 17, 2016, as the Colorado Rockies shut out the San Diego Padres, 8-0. He homered twice and drove in five runs in that game, while also catching a complete game shutout by Jon Gray in which he set a new franchise record with 16 strikeouts.

In spring training in 2017, he suffered a hairline fracture in his right forearm, putting him out for four to six weeks. The injury was one of a number suffered by Rockies players over a short span, including a broken wrist by 1B Ian Desmond and the announcement that P Chad Bettis had to undergo chemotherapy due to a relapse of cancer. He ended up playing just 12 games in the majors that season, hitting .042, but in 2018, he saw a bit more action, with 37 games. he hit .226 with 2 homers and 11 RBIs but did not take part in the postseason.

Murphy had an eventful spring training in 2019, as he was placed on waivers when he failed to make the Rockies' opening day roster, but was claimed by the San Francisco Giants on March 29th. The Giants then immediately turned around and traded him to the Seattle Mariners in return for Jesus Ozoria. This turned out great for Tom, as he was immediately installed as the back-up to starter Omar Narvaez. Even though Narvaez had his best year with the bat, Murphy did even better, hitting .273 with 18 homers and 40 RBIs in 75 games (an OPS+ of 129). He played more and more as the season progressed, and in early December, the Mariners figured that they could trade Narvaez, as catching was now an area of strength with Murphy and Austin Nola, who had played mainly first base in 2019, ready to take over. However, he missed all of the shortened 2020 season after breaking a bone in his foot during summer camp, when training resumed after the three-month break imposed by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Murphy returned to action with the Mariners in 2021, hitting .202 in 97 as the team's starting catcher. He hit 11 homers and drove in 34 runs for an OPS+ of 84. In 2022, he was off to a good start, hitting .303 in his first 14 games with an OPS+ of 164, when his season ended in early May with a dislocated left shoulder. He did not return and Cal Raleigh took over as the Mariners' catcher, helping to lead them to the Postseason for the first time since 2001. When Murphy returned in 2023, it was a back-up to Raleigh, and he could not dislodge him even though he had an excellent year with the bat, hitting .290 in 47 games, with12 doubles and 8 homers, for an OPS+ of 142. After the season, he became a free agent and on December 18th agreed to a two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants for $8 million. He was not expected to be a starter, but rather a back-up and mentor to young catcher Patrick Bailey.

Further Reading

• Maria Guardado: "Giants, Murphy agree to two-year deal", mlb.com, December 18, 2023. [1]

Related Sites

• Tom Murphy on mlb.com