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Atlanta Braves Top 100 Prospects: #54 Tanner Murphy

By Benjamin Chase

Sep 3, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of a catchers mitt prior to a game between the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of a catchers mitt prior to a game between the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 17, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels catcher Chris Iannetta against the Arizona Diamondbacks during an interleague game at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 17, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels catcher Chris Iannetta against the Arizona Diamondbacks during an interleague game at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

2016 Outlook

Tanner Murphy reminds me tremendously of current Seattle Mariner catcher Chris Iannetta, who is 6′ and 230 pounds with similar walk and strikeout rates as Murphy with good power and an excellent defensive reputation. Iannetta is entering his 11th major league season in 2016, so Murphy’s skill set can obviously hold a major league job, and for a long time. A more extreme example of this skill set is Houston Astros catcher Jason Castro, who has a similar high-end defensive reputation and power, but he also walks less and strikes out more in his offensive profile, so the length of tenure in the majors is likely to be more mercurial.

Next: Braves Top 100 Prospects Updated

Right now, the path between Murphy and Atlanta is really quite open. The Braves brought in a ton of guys seeking out a “last chance” or “second chance” to fill the AA/AAA rosters, and in house guys like Joseph Odom will still get a shot, but outside of that, the road is clear for Murphy to establish himself and move quickly to the majors. He handled, in my opinion, the toughest “stuff” pitching staff in the system last year, working with Max Povse, Touki Toussaint, Ricardo Sanchez, and all the other pitchers in Rome last season, and he handled them well. He should move up to Carolina in 2016, and his glove will carry him for sure, but if the Braves see a long-term solution in Murphy, they may end up holding Murphy back a bit to work on the bat skills. I think we’ll see in the speed of his advancement exactly the future the Braves see in his skill set.

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