It's been a tough career start for Atlanta Braves prospect Owen Murphy. The right-handed starter was drafted 20th overall in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft. There was a lot of hope that Murphy would become a mainstay in the Braves rotation one day. Unfortunately, his time in the organization has been a struggle.
Prospects are going to take time to develop, but Murphy showed promise early on with 113 strikeouts over 89 innings in his first full professional season in 2023. Things were trending in the right direction, but injuries derailed his chance to progress further.
He got off to a hot start in 2024 with a sub-two ERA over his first seven starts. Unexpectedly, the Braves top prospect's season ended after an elbow injury required Tommy John surgery. He returned towards the end of the 2025 season, and things seemed to be going in the right direction.
The start of the 2026 season got off to a bit of a rough start for the righty, but he was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett after five starts at Double-A.
Owen Murphy might be on his way to the big leagues with recent success at Triple-A
It wasn't a very good showing for Murphy with the Clingstones as he earned a 6.10 ERA over his first five starts. Command was a huge issue, as indicated by his 18 walks to 27 strikeouts during that span. However, that's expected when you haven't pitched in almost two years. It's going to take time to build up. Murphy struggled over his first three starts, but has really found his footing over his last six starts.
Since May 20th, Murphy has a 3.34 ERA over 35 innings with eight walks, 42 strikeouts, a .189 batting average against, and a 0.91 WHIP. His fastball continues to have great induced vertical break, and that's helped him rack up strikeouts.
Murphy could also finally be seeing results from adding a splitter to his arsenal this season. Developing new pitches can take time, but it could be exactly what he needed to succeed. Those numbers are much more impressive, and much of that success stems from cutting down on walks. If he keeps pitching this well, there's a chance he could see some time at the big league level.
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