Murphy's law: to be available every day
OAKLAND >> It was one of the rare days where Athletics catcher Sean Murphy was powerless to make a difference.
Mark Kotsay, the A's manager, determined Wednesday was the time for Murphy to take a seat rather than play in what turned out to be a 14-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
The reasoning was beyond reproach. Murphy, whether he admitted it or not, needed a break. The A's were playing a day game following a night game, and an off day Thursday meant two full days of rest after playing in 37 of the previous 39 games -- 29 as a catcher.
At one point Wednesday, catcher Christian Bethancourt took a foul tip and was being tended to by trainers. Out popped Murphy from the runway, fully prepared to tool up. Murphy is good at a lot of things, as evidenced by his Gold Glove award as the American League's top defensive catcher in 2021.
Sitting, however, is not one of them. Murphy loathes being a non-participant.
“I feel useless sitting on the bench,” Murphy said. “I want to be penciled in.”
When the A's begin a six-game road trip Friday night against the Los Angeles Angels, Murphy will return to his rightful place behind the plate. He's 27, in his prime, and one of the best at his craft in Major League Baseball by any standard. While Murphy has undoubtedly arrived as a catcher, he's still finding his way as a hitter.
With a .189/.240/.371 slash line, Murphy was grateful to see a bloop single that measured all of 59.3 miles per hour fall in to bring home two runs in Tuesday night's 5-2 win over the Twins. He's hit in some tough luck: According
to Baseball Savant, Murphy's average should be 40 points higher at .228, when factoring in the exit velocity of balls off the bat.
But Murphy, with four homers and 20 RBIs, has higher standards than hitting .228 and wants to produce offensively along with his teammates to support a starting rotation and bullpen that have been better than expected.
“They're pitching their butts off and we haven't been able to hold up our end of the bargain,” Murphy said.
Left unsaid is that Murphy is one of the reasons the pitching staff went into Thursday's loss with starters having allowed two runs or fewer in 11 of the previous 14 games. And that the bullpen had a 1.80 ERA in its previous 13. Murphy, together with coach and former catcher Marcus Jensen as well as pitching coach Scott Emerson, has helped smooth the rough edges of a pitching staff with lots of new faces.
“Sean's matured really nicely as a catcher,” Kotsay said. “The work he does with Marcus on the fundamentals of catching, along with the game-planning Scott Emerson has done, they've bonded and built a good relationship.”
Pitchers have no qualms about throwing an exploding slider in the dirt with runners on third, given that Murphy had only one passed ball all of last season and has none this year. He's thrown out nearly half (5 of 11) of the baserunners attempting to steal. Only Keibert Ruiz of Washington and J.T. Realmuto of Philadelphia have caught more pitches, and only Realmuto has caught more innings.
Murphy, at a sturdy 6-foot-3, 228 pounds, also grades out in the nuances of the position, ranking fourth in the majors in pitch framing according to Baseball Savant. He can occasionally steal a strike when a young pitcher needs one.
As an extension of Kotsay and Emerson, Murphy is charged with making sure pitchers carry out game plans as well as adjusting on the fly based on what he sees and feels. And Murphy doesn't let struggles at the plate affect his judgment when it comes to running a game.
“I just respect his work, his ability to show up and separate the two,” A's starting pitcher James Kaprielian said. “I think we all see the talent Murphy has at the dish. But it's a separate thing to manage the staff, know every single person on the staff, do the homework, do the scouting.”
To Murphy, it comes down to the most basic contribution a player can make. He's taken his share of foul tips, backswings off the helmet and back, and in almost every case is ready to go the next day.
“I mean, that's one of the goals at the beginning of the season -- be available,” Murphy said. “Be available and be read every single day.”