Hayden
Murphy

The right-hander collected another win on the year, going 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 11 K, 3 BB, 1 HBP. Of the 11 strikeouts Murphy notched, eight of those came via fastball and three via slider. The two hits yielded were a leadoff single and a fourth inning one out double down the left field line. The one run that crossed the plate came following a hit batter made it to third on a wild pitch, scoring on a 6-3 groundout in the third inning.

Murphy toes the rubber at 6-foot-3, 192-pounds. He possesses lean strength throughout his athletic frame, and still has lots of room for further development. The arm action is long with a full arm swing, but Murphy's athleticism shines as his arm operates with lightning quick arm speed and whip-like qualities. The ball jumps out of a 3/4 slot as he gets out front and downhill.

Murphy got better as the game progressed. He saved his best for last, peaking with his "stuff" in the fifth and sixth innings.  The fastball ranged 88-95 with run and sink, sitting mostly 90-93, touching 94 in the fifth inning and 95 in the second inning. The pitch was overpowering throughout the start, and if contact was made, it resulted in groundball contact. His slider did not have the same bite we have seen in previous looks, but it was still a swing and miss pitch with tight cutting action at 82-83. Murphy also mixed in a changeup at 79-82 that showed late sinking action.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound right-hander looked closer to 6-foot-4, 195-pounds in his first outing of the summer at the National Program Invitational, and made a loud announcement of his presence in the upcoming 2022 draft class. Working more linear down the mound than in previous looks, the loose whip of the arm stroke is maintained, and a fastball that explodes through the zone with considerable ride and run at 91-94 is thrown to four quadrants with intent. There is room to continue filling out a long-limbed athletic frame (he doubles as a potential two-way prospect for Auburn), and the velocity will almost assuredly tick up over the next year and beyond. But beyond the pure arm strength and athleticism, Murphy’s full arsenal promises upside as a frontline starter. Tunneling a tight slider in the mid-80s, he rips the pitch off with swing-and-miss intention, and it flashes plus when at its best. Intensifying his path as a starter, the changeup profiles best off the fastball with similar sinking action, and is thrown for strikes. Even more, Murphy’s mound presence elicits a killer-instinct, and his competitive nature should only help drive his stock higher over the next year.

NPI

Auburn recruit. 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame. Pitches with moderate tempo out of 3/4 slot with slight effort late. Fastball ranged from 87-92 with riding life. Slider had slurvy action at 74-75. Changeup was 78.