Player Profile: John Murphy

   
     John Murphy is a 5’11” 175 lb. Junior infielder from Sacred Heart University. He enjoyed an extremely impressive season in Fairfield, CT. On top of being named to the 2012 New England Conference All-Tournament team, John ranked among the top 10 statistically in batting average (3rd-.347), slugging (9th-.476), on-base percentage (3rd -438), runs scored (7th-38), triples (2nd-4), walks (7th-25), and stolen bases (2nd-24). He led his team in runs-batted-in with 36, and hits with 61, as well. If that is not impressive enough, Murphy was second on the team with a .965 on-base plus slugging.  While playing for the Bourne Braves this year, he has attracted a lot of attention. Most recently an article titled “The Braves man in the middle” was written about him. My favorite notation from this article is that: “He has been making the action happen as he ranks in the top three in every major offensive category on the team while also leading the team in runs scored with six and stolen bases with four through the first eight games.”
    John has very quick, soft hands as a fielder, and he turns an excellent double play. He has plus speed, meaning he runs well-above average. I have timed him 4.07 down to first, and I will not be surprised if he breaks 4.00 before the end of the season. I would describe his hitting approach as a slap-hitter who does a very good job of turning on a fastball (while not a direct comparison think Ichiro or Wade Boggs during batting practice). John’s hitting mechanics are slightly unorthodox, but with his statistics, why fix what isn’t broken? He stands upright in the box with his hands at ear level. He keeps his hands over the “hitting slot” and then takes a huge stride. In the process of his stride his hands slide into that hitting slot with his elbow down. He then pre-bends his back leg and turns his hips into the ball. In fact, when he takes a pitch, you can see his back knee bending and turning before the ball arrives. Regardless how he gets there, John has a very strong base and good balance at the point of contact. Moments after striking the baseball, he supplants his back foot and begins running towards first base. This is very common among leadoff hitters, and is a great way to “leg-out” infield hits. I slowed down two different hits that John had in the Hyannis game. The first is a 3rd inning ground out to the pitcher. I hope the viewer notices that John plants that left foot and runs directly up the line to try for an infield hit. The second hit is a 1st inning double to right-centerfield. Murphy hits the ball, plants his left foot, takes two steps, and immediately takes a wide turn. This is an example of great situational base-running. A popular baseball cliche is “Triples are hit out of the box” or “thinking double after the ball is hit.” John Murphy follows that popular cliche, but why should I be surprised? This “man in the middle” makes the action happen!