Chandler
Murphy

Don’t let his boxscore statline of 2.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 4 SO discolor his bright Opening Day performance, at least in my eyes. Of those five hits, three were infield choppers and a fourth was a medium hit grounder up the middle to the second base side that should have been handled for an out. Victimized by some poor fortune, Murphy worked with a smooth, starter-like, repeatable delivery. The loose-armed 6-foot-3 right-hander sat 92-94 mph with his four-seamer, working it up in the zone, while sinking his two-seamers below the knees. He also mixed a sharp, 83-87 mph high-spin (2700-2850 rpm) slider. It was a short, tight and a flincher at times. The pro-grade plus pitch even drew some swordfight swings from the Cowboys. His even higher-spin curveball (2900+) buzzed to the plate at 78-82 mph and graded as an average pitch. His fourth offering, a straight changeup, arrived at a firm 86-87. It was a below average pitch on this look and similar to the one that I saw upon my visit to Columbia last fall. On this look, Murphy showed better stuff and projected to a higher round than his more highly touted mound opponent, Watts-Brown. And just like in the case of JW-B, the scouting season is based upon more than one start. Both will have ample opportunity to determine their final draft value.

vs Illinois State: Arizona transfer Chandler Murphy received the starting nod for the Tigers and earned high praise from dozens of area scouts in attendance who were watching a new arm in their territory. Working with a smooth and repeatable delivery, the loose-armed 6-foot-3 right-hander sat 93-94 mph with a cutting fastball to his glove side. He also mixed a sharp, 83-86 mph high-spin (2700-2850 rpm) slider and an even higher spinning curveball (2900+) in the upper-70s. His fourth offering, a straight changeup, arrived at a firm 87-89 with spin in the 2100s. As a freshman for the Wildcats in 2021 Murphy went 7-0, but a forearm injury caused him to miss last fall and delay his 2022 spring debut. When he returned to the mound he couldn’t get in a groove and finished the season 1-2 with a 9.73 ERA in 28.2 innings pitched.

Arizona commit. Pitched 85-87, T89 with a straight fastball. Showed both a late breaking 77 mph slider and a softer 70-72 mph curveball that was more of a get me over type pitch. Athletic, low effort delivery with plenty of room to add strength/bulk to his long-limbed frame. Very high ceiling.

Fastball up to 89 in Area Code Games outing