The defensive skill and knowledge of A’s catcher Sean Murphy has helped a revamped pitching staff.
It was one of the rare days where Athletics catcher Sean Murphy was powerless to make a difference.
At one point Wednesday, catcher Christian Bethancourt took a foul tip and was being tended to by trainers. Out popped Murphy from the runway, fully prepared to tool up. Murphy is good at a lot of things, as evidenced by his Gold Glove award as the American League’s top defensive catcher in 2021.“I feel useless sitting on the bench,” Murphy said. “I want to be penciled in.”
But Murphy, with four homers and 20 RBIs, has higher standards than hitting .228 and wants to produce offensively along with his teammates to support a starting rotation and bullpen that have been better than expected. Left unsaid is that Murphy is one of the reasons the pitching staff went into Thursday’s loss with starters having allowed two runs or fewer in 11 of the previous 14 games. And that the bullpen had a 1.80 ERA in its previous 13. Murphy, together with coach and former catcher Marcus Jensen as well as pitching coach Scott Emerson, have helped smooth the rough edges of a pitching staff with lots of new faces.
Murphy, at a sturdy 6-foot-3, 228 pounds, also grades out in the nuances of the position, ranking fourth in the majors in pitch framing according to Baseball Savant. He can occasionally steal a strike when a young pitcher needs one.