With only 63 MLB games under his belt, Sean Murphy’s manager already sees where the future is headed.
“He came a long way in a short period of time,” A's manager Bob Melvin told NBC Sports California. “I really believe the next stop is All-Star.”
Murphy made 43 appearances in 2020, hit seven homers, and finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
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SIGN UP HERE But watching the backstop operate on a regular basis, numbers didn’t even tell his whole story.
“It’s just leadership qualities you can’t put a metric on,” Melvin said of Murphy. “Knowing the league a little bit more, he’s really into the analytics portion of it too. Far as scouting reports, and attacking hitters, and understanding what pitchers’ strengths are.”
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While a 60-game regular season in 2020 wasn’t optimal for many players, Melvin said Murphy might have benefitted from it more than most. It was the opportunity to continue recovering from a knee injury without playing a full 162, but also proving he could play four or five days in a row with no issues.
Another evident asset of Murphy this summer was his relationship with the pitching staff. He was routinely praised by hurlers in post-game media sessions, and rarely shaken-off by them during game situations.
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“That shows up pretty quickly when you invest yourself, mostly in the team and in the pitchers, more so than yourself and offensive numbers,” said Melvin.
“He’s the total package.”