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Jun 04, 2012 - Jun 06, 2012     
TBD - ,
Tom Murphy
C 6-0 180   R/R
FB
60
40
OF
IF
1B
C
Pop
Range
CB
SL
CH
Split
Knuckle
5/1/12: The University at Buffalo has gone through its share of lean times in baseball since joining the Mid-American Conference in 2002. Over that 11-plus year stretch (through games of April), the Bulls have gone a combined 191-410 overall and 72-220 in conference play. They have not approached a winning team over that period. Moreover, Buffalo has had only three players drafted over the last 25 years, none higher than the 29th round. That’s why the presence of a player with Murphy’s talent has been treated like a big deal around the Buffalo campus—even the western part of New York. Murphy ranks as the Mid-American Conference’s leading prospect for the 2012 draft after coming off a dominant sophomore year at Buffalo. He was selected the MAC player of the year—a rare feat for a player on a 3-22 team (14-37 overall). The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Murphy led the Bulls by wide margins in batting (.384), homers (10) and RBIs (44), and only enhanced his draft value last summer while playing in the New England Collegiate League, especially during the NECBL all-star team’s 3-2 win over Team USA at Boston’s Fenway Park. In one momentous at-bat against national-team righthander Kevin Gausman (Louisiana State), a projected early first-round pick in this year’s draft, Murphy turned around his first-pitch fastball and took it deep down the left-field line, just foul. Undaunted, he stepped right back up and took a Gausman slider far over Fenway’s Green Monster. That single at-bat earned Murphy a five-game contract with Team USA, where he gave national-level scouts a sneak-preview of his offensive potential. Murphy soon returned to Holyoke of the NECBL, where he teamed behind the plate the remainder of the summer with Ronnie Freeman (Kennesaw State), who also had a brief trial with Team USA, to form what might have been the best catching tandem in summer baseball. The two catchers had different profiles as Freeman was perceived as the better pure hitter of the two, while Murphy was more about power in his offensive approach. Based on what he showed scouts last summer, Murphy had excellent raw power in his short, compact swing, and his powerful throwing arm stood out defensively. He had solid catching skills, though it remains uncertain that he will remain behind the plate at the next level as he needs more work on his receiving and blocking skills, and on his set-up and exchange to take better advantage of his raw arm strength. He scored high marks for his makeup and work ethic, and it was evident at the NECBL all-star game that his game isn’t all about power as he was clocked in 6.80 seconds in the 60-yard dash. Murphy’s performance this spring has been more inconsistent in comparison to last summer and during his sophomore year at Buffalo. He got off to a very quick start, but has struggled since and hasn’t posted the power numbers he was projected to generate, given his start. Through 39 games this season, he is hitting .327-7-38. He has also struck out at a higher rate than desired, doing so 38 times so far this year. Murphy’s catching ability, on the other hand, has looked clean, though he’ll still drop his share of pitches while his blocking skills have been inconsistent. No matter where Murphy ends up being drafted, whether in the second round or fifth round, he’s certain to gain more than his share of notoriety in western New York as players with Murphy’s talent are a rare breed in that part of the baseball world.




Oct 23, 2008 - Oct 27, 2008   South Troy / Youth Service  19
Roger Dean Complex - Jupiter, FL
Tom Murphy
C 6-0 180   R/R
FB
60
40
OF
IF
1B
C
Pop
Range
CB
SL
CH
Split
Knuckle




Aug 23, 2008 - Aug 25, 2008   South Troy Dodgers  19
Baseball Heaven - Yaphank, NY
Tom Murphy
C 6-0 180   R/R
FB
60
40
OF
IF
1B
C
Pop
Range
CB
SL
CH
Split
Knuckle