Sean Murphy is headed for Atlanta.
This afternoon, the Oakland Athletics and Atlanta Braves completed a swap that will send the 2021 Gold Glover out East.
The Athletics have been shopping the Wright State product for some time in hopes of clearing a spot for top catching prospect Shea Langeliers.
Oakland has now opened up a spot for their top prospect.
Murphy will rejoin his former A’s teammate in Matt Olson.
On Twitter, former Athletics pitcher Jerry Blevins gave Murphy the ultimate endorsement, expressing how much the fans in Atlanta are going to love their new catcher.
My ATL folks! Sean Murphy is a gem. You’re going to love him. Great ball player. Hard worker. Quiet confidence and some baby blues to go along with.
— Jerry Blevins (@jerryblevins) December 12, 2022
Blevins Praises Murphy
The Braves got their man.
Murphy heads to Atlanta and will assume catching duties in 2023.
But this is some high praise from Blevins.
Having spent time in the A’s organization, Blevins has experienced what Murphy brings to the table.
At the plate, Murphy hit for a .250 average and crushed 18 home runs during the 2022 season.
Behind the plate, he made just eight errors, posted a .991 fielding percentage, registered 878 putouts, and caught 19 runners attempting to steal, so the Braves are going to get a solid defensive catcher, as well as one who can hit for some power.
But Blevins knows that there’s more to Murphy than just his power and defense.
He got a chance to work with the 28-year-old catcher during his time in Oakland, and knows that there is plenty more he can bring to the table for the Braves in 2023.
The Braves won 101 games during the regular season and captured the NL East crown for the fifth straight year.
Adding Murphy gives them a good chance to win their sixth consecutive division title.
