With as many arms as the Atlanta Braves have drafted in recent years, it is easy for some names to get lost in the shuffle. Cam Caminiti has made a name for himself among Braves fans and there is palpable excitement over the arrival of JR Ritchie in the majors. However, one name that has flown under the radar for a while is former first round pick Owen Murphy.
Coming out of high school, the Braves picked Murphy at 20th overall because they loved his athleticism that came from his two-way, multi-sport background. However, Atlanta always thought his future was on the mound and for a while, it looked like Murphy was well on his way to being a big part of the Braves' plan in a hurry. Unfortunately, Murphy needed Tommy John surgery in 2024 and all the buzz faded as he recovered.
Thankfully, Murphy returned this season and looked legitimately great upon that return. Assuming he has a normal offseason before 2026, Murphy could move a lot faster and be in the conversation for a call-up to the majors sooner than some may think.
Owen Murphy's successful return from Tommy John surgery could force the Braves' hand soon
It is fair to call the sample size of Murphy's innings since returning from injury small, so all the usual caveats apply here. However, that Murphy was able to shake off all of the rust from his length layoff and post a 1.19 ERA in 30.1 innings of work with 34 strikeouts and just six walks is very impressive and definitely atypical.
As a prep arm, moving Murphy deliberately through the minors made a lot of sense especially since he had some more minor arm issues before his elbow went out. However, Murphy is 22 years old now and has played parts of four seasons in the minors. Aside from the injury, Murphy has already checked a lot of boxes when it comes to his development.
The next question is ultimately how careful the Braves want to be with Murphy, but Ritchie's own return from injury could be instructive here. Even though Ritchie moved up the minor leagues quickly and pitched very well, the Braves knew this was his first full season back from injury and didn't want to push it by giving him even more innings in the majors. Assuming Murphy pitches well, he could follow the same path.