A.J. Murray
| IP | 35 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.371 |
| WHIP | 1.571 |
| BB/9 | 4.629 |
| SO/9 | 5.914 |
- Full name Arlington John Murray
- Born 03/17/1982 in Vernal, UT
- Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: S / Throws: L
- School Salt Lake CC
- Debut 05/16/2007
- Drafted in the 19th round (574th overall) by the Texas Rangers in 2000.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Murray represents the Rangers' pitching blueprint. He has moved quickly since signing as a draft-and-follow in 2001, and spent last year as the second-youngest regular starter in the Texas League. He turned in the league's seventh-best ERA and was even better (0.77 ERA) in two playoff starts. Nicknamed "Pirate" because his given name is Arlington and his teammates took to calling him "Arrr" in 2001, he's similar to C.J. Wilson and Ryan Snare. Murray may rely even more on touch and feel than those fellow lefties. He borders on the soft-tosser ledge with a fastball that sits from 86-88 mph and ranges from 84-90. He has a solid four-pitch mix, though, and locates his stuff to both sides of the plate. Murray's changeup is his best pitch, and he throws a big-breaking though inconsistent curveball. He has a good shot at joining the Triple-A rotation this year and profiles as a fifth starter in the majors. -
The Rangers don't have outstanding pitching in the minors, but they do have depth, especially among lefthanders. Start with Ben Kozlowski, of course, but don't forget C.J. Wilson, Murray, Mario Ramos, Derrick Van Dusen and major league Rule 5 acquisition John Koronka. Other than Kozlowski, the rest of Texas' lefties share a common theme: decent arms, plus changeups and the need to throw quality strikes down in the zone. Murray did that consistently in 2002, his first full pro season. Rangers officials compare him to Kirk Rueter for his willingness to pitch inside with an 86-88 mph fastball, and because Murray spots his slider and changeup down in the zone, getting hitters off balance and reaching. Armed with a deceptive delivery, Murray pitched better in 2002 after a move up to high Class A and is in line for a promotion to Double-A. His slider's effectiveness helps separate him from some of the lefties below him on this list. He'll have to keep throwing it for strikes to remain a rotation candidate instead of being consigned to the bullpen.
