It's the offseason, so that means idiotic hot takes are flying around like crazy right now. This afternoon it was a former Brave who had a particularly horrific one about current Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy.
In a tweeted video from baseball podcast Foul Territory, the group of analysts were discussing where the Braves should go for backup catcher after the departure of fan favorite Travis d'Arnaud. The club discussed Kyle Higashioka as a potential candidate (even though the Braves would've just kept d'Arnaud for $8 million if they wanted to go this route).
However, the crazy discussion point we have is found under the post where you can see a reply from former Braves outfielder and current Foul Territory analyst, Cameron Maybin. In Maybin's response he claims that Sean Murphy is a backup catcher.
I think Murphy is low key a back up catcher 🤷🏾♂️
— Cameron Maybin (@CameronMaybin) November 14, 2024
Maybin foolishly calls Murphy backup catcher material
That's a pretty bold take even with Murphy's down year last season. And Murphy's outlier 2024 is exactly why that take is a very idiotic one. We've seen too much Sean Murphy disrespect dished out this offseason, and it's beginning to feel like people are forgetting the track record Murphy has on the back of his baseball card.
Outside of last season (where Murphy suffered a terrible injury on Opening Day and looked like he never fully recovered) Murphy has slugged at least .400 in each of his first five big league seasons. Murphy also had a wRC+ of at least 121 in four the five seasons he played from 2019-2023.
Since 2020 (the first year Murphy assumed starting catcher responsibilities) he ranks THIRD IN ALL OF BASEBALL in fWAR amongst catchers. His 15.8 fWAR only trails J.T. Realmuto and Will Smith.
At his best, Murphy is a top five catcher in baseball. At his worst his defense is still strong enough to warrant a starting catcher role. In fact, here's some proof...Murphy's worst season by fWAR, in a year in which he played at least 80 games, was 2021 when he finished with a 3.3 fWAR.
That 3.3 fWAR mark would've ranked Murphy fifth in MLB last season amongst qualified catchers. Let me say that again...Murphy's worst season (in which he was healthy and played at least 80 games) he would still be a top-five catcher when looking at Fangraphs WAR.
It's preciously why the backup catcher remark is completely ludicrous. Yes, Sean Murphy had his worst season as a pro in 2024. However, that doesn't mean he's suddenly worse than 29 other catchers in baseball.