Chris Murphy

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #25 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 40/Medium
  
  Track Record: When Murphy was in college, the Red Sox viewed him as a moldable pitcher whose results didn’t match the potential of his stuff. He embraced data-driven adjustments to his pitch mix in pro ball and steadily improved as a starter each season. Viewed as potential rotation depth at the start of 2023, Murphy struggled to an 8.35 ERA through nine Triple-A starts. A late-May bullpen move freed him to attack more aggressively and resulted in a quick callup. He logged a 1.91 ERA through his first 28 big league innings before a late-season fade that saw him post a 9.78 ERA in his last 19.1 innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Murphy attacks all quadrants with a diverse pitch mix. His four-seamer, which averages 94 mph and touches 97, is most effective setting up two solid-average secondary pitches. His two-plane curveball averages 62 inches of drop, while his firm changeup sneaks below the zone to his arm side. As the season progressed, Murphy reshaped his slider into a cutter in hopes of running a pitch onto the hands of righties. Though he has the pitch shapes to start, the Red Sox felt he was better suited to the bullpen due to strike-throwing inconsistencies--something that led him to pitch exclusively out of the stretch.
  
  The Future: Though he’ll be stretched out in spring training, Murphy likely will shuttle between Triple-A and the big leagues as a multi-inning bullpen contributor in 2024.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Cutter: 45 | Control: 45
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #13 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium
  
  Track Record: The Red Sox scouted Murphy at San Diego as a pitcher with untapped potential, a lefty with a good fastball who they felt was using in the wrong part of the zone (down instead of up) and who had putaway stuff but tended to nibble with two strikes. In his 2019 pro debut in short-season Lowell, Murphy immediately showed an eagerness to embrace data-driven tweaks to his plan of attack. In two years since the lost 2020 campaign, Murphy has advanced to Triple-A while pitching 253 1/3 innings, fifth most in the minors).
  
  Scouting Report: Murphy features a three-pitch mix anchored by a fastball that sits 92-94 mph and tops out at 96, complemented by an above-average changeup and an average slider. He's delivered occasionally dominant outings but has mostly shown an ability to work to gameplans while offering a steady supply of five- to six-inning outings. He seemed to lose steam as the 2022 season progressed, with his velocity ticking down and his ERA rising in each month of the year.
  
  The Future: Murphy has shown the building blocks of a potential No. 5 starter, and after being placed on the 40-man roster, he's likely to open 2023 in Triple-A as a depth option for the Red Sox. It's possible his stuff could play up in a multi-innings relief role.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Slider: 50. Curveball: 45. Changeup: 55. Control: 45.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #12 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: The Sox took Murphy in the sixth round of the 2019 draft believing that he had swing-and-miss weapons and better command than his 12% walk rate at San Diego suggested. The lefthander has largely rewarded that view, emerging as a steady performer who at times dominated after his late-season promotion to Double-A in 2021. He went 8-5 with a 4.62 ERA between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland in 2021, with a 30.2% strikeout rate on the year that included a 34.1% mark in Portland.
  
  Scouting Report: Murphy leans hard on a 92-94 mph fastball—occasionally running it up to 96-97—that hitters struggle to pick up at the top of the zone, but sometimes the pitch loses ride and becomes vulnerable to hard contact, contributing to the 21 homers allowed in just over 100 innings. His best secondary offering is an above-average changeup that dives away from righties for swings and misses, while he features a curveball that shows average potential. His slider is currently a below-average offering, and may ultimately be reshaped into a cutter. Sox officials rave about his competitiveness, believing that his makeup will allow him to work past transitional bumps in the big leagues, and that his openness to pitch design work will help him find the arsenal he needs to be effective.
  
  The Future: Murphy’s dominance against lefties gives him a solid reliever floor, but so long as he throws enough strikes, Murphy’s four-pitch mix gives him a chance to emerge by late 2022 or early 2023 as rotation depth with a No. 4 starter’s ceiling.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #15 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: In college, Murphy displayed a swing-and-miss fastball as the anchor of a mix that as a junior produced 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranked 23rd in Division I, but control issues pushed him to the sixth round. The walks, however, were partly a product of an effort to force chases out of the zone in two-strike counts. In Murphy's pro debut in short-season Lowell in 2019, he excelled with a more aggressive approach and he continued to impress at instructional league in 2020.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Despite some effort in his delivery, Murphy still has harnessed his mechanics in pro ball in a fashion that has allowed him to work in the zone with a four-pitch mix. His fastball -- which averaged 93 mph and topped at 95 in instructional league -- has deception and life at the top of the zone, and his changeup is a plus pitch that plays off of it. Murphy complements those two pitches with both a below-average slider and curveball that have been sufficient to keep both lefties and righties honest. In pro ball, he's proven capable of applying data to identify where his stuff is most effective.
  
  THE FUTURE: So long as he throws enough strikes, Murphy's four-pitch mix gives him a chance to move relatively quickly through the system as a potential No. 5 starter.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #14 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Though he posted one of the top strikeout rates in Division I (12.2 per 9 innings) as a junior, Murphy's performance was obscured by unusually high walk rates (4.8) coming out of San Diego. The Red Sox took a chance on him and were pleasantly surprised with a strong pro debut. In 10 starts spanning 33.1 innings with Lowell, Murphy forged a 1.08 ERA with 34 strikeouts, just seven walks, and only one home run allowed.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: While in Lowell, Murphy made some small tweaks to his delivery, including enhanced rhythm to his lower half, which in turn resulted in throwing from a slightly higher slot and generating better plane and more direct finish to the plate. The results were striking, allowing his 92-93 mph fastball to play much better than it did in college. Not only did Murphy elicit his share of swings and misses, he commanded his pitches in the zone more effectively and got ahead of hitters more frequently. Murphy also features a solid three-quarters slurve and changeup. He profiles as a starter during the development process.
  
  THE FUTURE: While the 2019 debut was encouraging, Murphy will have to prove it was not a fluke, in contrast to his career log in college and the Cape Cod League. He should start the season at low Class A Greenville.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #155 prospect in 2019 draft
  Murphy showed swing-and-miss stuff but also shoddy control in the Cape Cod League last summer. He elevated his draft stock with a dominant turn at the front of San Diego's rotation this spring, but wildness continues to afflict him. Murphy boasts an attractive power arm from the left side. He sits 90-91 mph on his fastball and can ramp up to 94-95 mph, pitching in and out and elevating for swings and misses. His breaking ball is alternately referred to as a power curveball or slider and draws above-average grades, and his average changeup is an effective third pitch. Murphy's stuff allows him to miss bats and keep runs off the board, but he gets into a lot of deep counts and falls into long innings because of below-average control. He walked more than six batters per nine innings this spring, with 15 hit batters on top of it. Murphy has the stuff to start, but his control may push him to the bullpen. Evaluators are split on his eventual outcome but want him regardless.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium
  
  Track Record: The Red Sox scouted Murphy at San Diego as a pitcher with untapped potential, a lefty with a good fastball who they felt was using in the wrong part of the zone (down instead of up) and who had putaway stuff but tended to nibble with two strikes. In his 2019 pro debut in short-season Lowell, Murphy immediately showed an eagerness to embrace data-driven tweaks to his plan of attack. In two years since the lost 2020 campaign, Murphy has advanced to Triple-A while pitching 253 1/3 innings, fifth most in the minors).
  
  Scouting Report: Murphy features a three-pitch mix anchored by a fastball that sits 92-94 mph and tops out at 96, complemented by an above-average changeup and an average slider. He's delivered occasionally dominant outings but has mostly shown an ability to work to gameplans while offering a steady supply of five- to six-inning outings. He seemed to lose steam as the 2022 season progressed, with his velocity ticking down and his ERA rising in each month of the year.
  
  The Future: Murphy has shown the building blocks of a potential No. 5 starter, and after being placed on the 40-man roster, he's likely to open 2023 in Triple-A as a depth option for the Red Sox. It's possible his stuff could play up in a multi-innings relief role.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Slider: 50. Curveball: 45. Changeup: 55. Control: 45.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium
  
  Track Record: The Red Sox scouted Murphy at San Diego as a pitcher with untapped potential, a lefty with a good fastball who they felt was using in the wrong part of the zone (down instead of up) and who had putaway stuff but tended to nibble with two strikes. In his 2019 pro debut in short-season Lowell, Murphy immediately showed an eagerness to embrace data-driven tweaks to his plan of attack. In two years since the lost 2020 campaign, Murphy has advanced to Triple-A while pitching 253 1/3 innings, fifth most in the minors).
  
  Scouting Report: Murphy features a three-pitch mix anchored by a fastball that sits 92-94 mph and tops out at 96, complemented by an above-average changeup and an average slider. He's delivered occasionally dominant outings but has mostly shown an ability to work to gameplans while offering a steady supply of five- to six-inning outings. He seemed to lose steam as the 2022 season progressed, with his velocity ticking down and his ERA rising in each month of the year.
  
  The Future: Murphy has shown the building blocks of a potential No. 5 starter, and after being placed on the 40-man roster, he's likely to open 2023 in Triple-A as a depth option for the Red Sox. It's possible his stuff could play up in a multi-innings relief role.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Slider: 50. Curveball: 45. Changeup: 55. Control: 45.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record:: The Sox took Murphy in the sixth round of the 2019 draft believing that he had swing-and-miss weapons and better command than his 12% walk rate at San Diego suggested. The lefthander has largely rewarded that view, emerging as a steady performer who at times dominated after his late-season promotion to Double-A in 2021. He went 8-5 with a 4.62 ERA between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland in 2021, with a 30.2% strikeout rate on the year that included a 34.1% mark in Portland.
  
  Scouting Report: Murphy leans hard on a 92-94 mph fastball—occasionally running it up to 96-97—that hitters struggle to pick up at the top of the zone, but sometimes the pitch loses ride and becomes vulnerable to hard contact, contributing to the 21 homers allowed in just over 100 innings. His best secondary offering is an above-average changeup that dives away from righties for swings and misses, while he features a curveball that shows average potential. His slider is currently a below-average offering, and may ultimately be reshaped into a cutter. Sox officials rave about his competitiveness, believing that his makeup will allow him to work past transitional bumps in the big leagues, and that his openness to pitch design work will help him find the arsenal he needs to be effective.
  
  The Future: Murphy&#39s dominance against lefties gives him a solid reliever floor, but so long as he throws enough strikes, Murphy&#39s four-pitch mix gives him a chance to emerge by late 2022 or early 2023 as rotation depth with a No. 4 starter&#39s ceiling. Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50. Slider: 45. Curveball: 50. Changeup: 55. Control: 50
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The Sox took Murphy in the sixth round of the 2019 draft believing that he had swing-and-miss weapons and better command than his 12% walk rate at San Diego suggested. The lefthander has largely rewarded that view, emerging as a steady performer who at times dominated after his late-season promotion to Double-A in 2021. He went 8-5 with a 4.62 ERA between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland in 2021, with a 30.2% strikeout rate on the year that included a 34.1% mark in Portland.
  
  Scouting Report: Murphy leans hard on a 92-94 mph fastball—occasionally running it up to 96-97—that hitters struggle to pick up at the top of the zone, but sometimes the pitch loses ride and becomes vulnerable to hard contact, contributing to the 21 homers allowed in just over 100 innings. His best secondary offering is an above-average changeup that dives away from righties for swings and misses, while he features a curveball that shows average potential. His slider is currently a below-average offering, and may ultimately be reshaped into a cutter. Sox officials rave about his competitiveness, believing that his makeup will allow him to work past transitional bumps in the big leagues, and that his openness to pitch design work will help him find the arsenal he needs to be effective.
  
  The Future: Murphy’s dominance against lefties gives him a solid reliever floor, but so long as he throws enough strikes, Murphy’s four-pitch mix gives him a chance to emerge by late 2022 or early 2023 as rotation depth with a No. 4 starter’s ceiling.
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: In college, Murphy displayed a swing-and-miss fastball as the anchor of a mix that as a junior produced 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranked 23rd in Division I, but control issues pushed him to the sixth round. The walks, however, were partly a product of an effort to force chases out of the zone in two-strike counts. In Murphy's pro debut in short-season Lowell in 2019, he excelled with a more aggressive approach and he continued to impress at instructional league in 2020.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Despite some effort in his delivery, Murphy still has harnessed his mechanics in pro ball in a fashion that has allowed him to work in the zone with a four-pitch mix. His fastball -- which averaged 93 mph and topped at 95 in instructional league -- has deception and life at the top of the zone, and his changeup is a plus pitch that plays off of it. Murphy complements those two pitches with both a below-average slider and curveball that have been sufficient to keep both lefties and righties honest. In pro ball, he's proven capable of applying data to identify where his stuff is most effective.
  
  THE FUTURE: So long as he throws enough strikes, Murphy's four-pitch mix gives him a chance to move relatively quickly through the system as a potential No. 5 starter.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: In college, Murphy displayed a swing-and-miss fastball as the anchor of a mix that as a junior produced 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranked 23rd in Division I, but control issues pushed him to the sixth round. The walks, however, were partly a product of an effort to force chases out of the zone in two-strike counts. In Murphy's pro debut in short-season Lowell in 2019, he excelled with a more aggressive approach and he continued to impress at instructional league in 2020.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Despite some effort in his delivery, Murphy still has harnessed his mechanics in pro ball in a fashion that has allowed him to work in the zone with a four-pitch mix. His fastball -- which averaged 93 mph and topped at 95 in instructional league -- has deception and life at the top of the zone, and his changeup is a plus pitch that plays off of it. Murphy complements those two pitches with both a below-average slider and curveball that have been sufficient to keep both lefties and righties honest. In pro ball, he's proven capable of applying data to identify where his stuff is most effective.
  
  THE FUTURE: So long as he throws enough strikes, Murphy's four-pitch mix gives him a chance to move relatively quickly through the system as a potential No. 5 starter.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: In college, Murphy displayed a swing-and-miss fastball as the anchor of a mix that as a junior produced 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranked 23rd in Division I, but control issues pushed him to the sixth round. The walks, however, were partly a product of an effort to force chases out of the zone in two-strike counts. In Murphy's pro debut in short-season Lowell in 2019, he excelled with a more aggressive approach and he continued to impress at instructional league in 2020.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Despite some effort in his delivery, Murphy still has harnessed his mechanics in pro ball in a fashion that has allowed him to work in the zone with a four-pitch mix. His fastball -- which averaged 93 mph and topped at 95 in instructional league -- has deception and life at the top of the zone, and his changeup is a plus pitch that plays off of it. Murphy complements those two pitches with both a below-average slider and curveball that have been sufficient to keep both lefties and righties honest. In pro ball, he's proven capable of applying data to identify where his stuff is most effective.
  
  THE FUTURE: So long as he throws enough strikes, Murphy's four-pitch mix gives him a chance to move relatively quickly through the system as a potential No. 5 starter.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Though he posted one of the top strikeout rates in Division I (12.2 per 9 innings) as a junior, Murphy’s performance was obscured by unusually high walk rates (4.8) coming out of San Diego. The Red Sox took a chance on him and were pleasantly surprised with a strong pro debut. In 10 starts spanning 33.1 innings with Lowell, Murphy forged a 1.08 ERA with 34 strikeouts, just seven walks, and only one home run allowed.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: While in Lowell, Murphy made some small tweaks to his delivery, including enhanced rhythm to his lower half, which in turn resulted in throwing from a slightly higher slot and generating better plane and more direct finish to the plate. The results were striking, allowing his 92-93 mph fastball to play much better than it did in college. Not only did Murphy elicit his share of swings and misses, he commanded his pitches in the zone more effectively and got ahead of hitters more frequently. Murphy also features a solid three-quarters slurve and changeup. He profiles as a starter during the development process.
  
  THE FUTURE: While the 2019 debut was encouraging, Murphy will have to prove it was not a fluke, in contrast to his career log in college and the Cape Cod League. He should start the season at low Class A Greenville.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Though he posted one of the top strikeout rates in Division I (12.2 per 9 innings) as a junior, Murphy's performance was obscured by unusually high walk rates (4.8) coming out of San Diego. The Red Sox took a chance on him and were pleasantly surprised with a strong pro debut. In 10 starts spanning 33.1 innings with Lowell, Murphy forged a 1.08 ERA with 34 strikeouts, just seven walks, and only one home run allowed.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: While in Lowell, Murphy made some small tweaks to his delivery, including enhanced rhythm to his lower half, which in turn resulted in throwing from a slightly higher slot and generating better plane and more direct finish to the plate. The results were striking, allowing his 92-93 mph fastball to play much better than it did in college. Not only did Murphy elicit his share of swings and misses, he commanded his pitches in the zone more effectively and got ahead of hitters more frequently. Murphy also features a solid three-quarters slurve and changeup. He profiles as a starter during the development process.
  
  THE FUTURE: While the 2019 debut was encouraging, Murphy will have to prove it was not a fluke, in contrast to his career log in college and the Cape Cod League. He should start the season at low Class A Greenville.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Murphy showed swing-and-miss stuff but also shoddy control in the Cape Cod League last summer. He elevated his draft stock with a dominant turn at the front of San Diego's rotation this spring, but wildness continues to afflict him. Murphy boasts an attractive power arm from the left side. He sits 90-91 mph on his fastball and can ramp up to 94-95 mph, pitching in and out and elevating for swings and misses. His breaking ball is alternately referred to as a power curveball or slider and draws above-average grades, and his average changeup is an effective third pitch. Murphy's stuff allows him to miss bats and keep runs off the board, but he gets into a lot of deep counts and falls into long innings because of below-average control. He walked more than six batters per nine innings this spring, with 15 hit batters on top of it. Murphy has the stuff to start, but his control may push him to the bullpen. Evaluators are split on his eventual outcome but want him regardless.