Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy has been part of a lot of talk this offseason. His second-half struggles in 2023 coupled with a disappointing 2024 had some doubting the Braves made the right decision trading for him in the first place.
Couple that with the team's decision to not pick up Travis d'Arnaud's contract option for 2025 and you have a lot of doubt swirling around the once-heralded catcher who remains.
Sean Murphy regressed badly in the second half of the 2023 season but 2024 seemed like a lost year due to his oblique injury on Opening Day. He was out until the end of May and returned around the same time Ronald Acuna Jr. was placed on the IL.
People talking as if Snit has given Murphy any chance to get into a rhythm after his oblique injury this season. This is also Sean Murphy's savant page after what most #Braves fans call a "bad" post-AS break/hamstring injury in 2023. 🙄 https://t.co/HOf7N8ZLwZ pic.twitter.com/dztA9zmk9A
— Amber (@adalabraves) August 8, 2024
Sean Murphy's 2025 Braves performance will be under a microscope
Murph was never really able to return to his expected performance. It just appeared that he could never fully heal from his injury. This led to underperformance, and some fans doubted whether he was suited for the job next season.
He batted .193 through 72 games, including 10 homers, 25 RBI, 27 BB, and 67 K. Not the best performance at the plate. However, his defense was still excellent despite taking a slight dip from 2023.
Murphy is still one of the top defensive catchers in baseball with 11 blocks above average which is in the 97th percentile among MLB catchers. He also excels in pop time and pitch framing. His pop time did decrease from 10th best (1.90) to 31st (1.95) in 2024 but that's to be expected with Murphy recovering from an oblique injury. It's still considered above average so not much to be concerned with.
He will continue to be a great defensive catcher. The only concern most fans have is with his offense, which will be watched closely this year. Drake Baldwin had himself an impressive season at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. There's a chance Atlanta could consider letting him get some playing time if things go sideways with Murphy again. Hopefully, new hitting coach Tim Hyers will be able to get him back on track.