Despite injury scare, Giants prospect Ryan Murphy eyes big goals after Double-A promotion
Ryan Murphy last fall was among a group of baseball prospects invited to a strength camp in San Francisco.
They lodged at a hotel in the city’s Embarcadero area, and each day made the short trip from there to Oracle Park to train. For a little while, those young hopefuls got to feel like big-leaguers ― sans the massive contracts and that stadium being packed with screaming fans, of course.
But that experience, setting foot on grass they aspire to eventually make their home turf, was a slice of reality that enhanced the fantasy.
“It was awesome,” Murphy said of the time there. “The area and ballpark are great. You get to daydream a little, and it really makes me excited and wanting to get there faster. But you also know that you have to work to make that a possibility.”
His journey to this point already has been remarkable. The Wappingers Falls native has gone from a Division II college player to being ranked the San Francisco Giants’ 11th-best prospect, having twice been promoted in the minor leagues in less than a year.
Seldom, though, is a road to glory paved at every step.
Following his second Double-A start last week, the pitcher was diagnosed with inflammation in his right elbow and has been sidelined indefinitely. An MRI revealed no structural damage, Murphy said, but he was sent to Arizona to rehabilitate and was instructed to avoid rigorous throwing for at least two weeks.
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“I feel fine right now,” the 22-year-old told the Journal. “They’re just being careful and trying to prevent injury. It (stinks) because I’ve never been hurt before, with anything serious, so this did worry me.”
Murphy dominated the lower levels of the minor leagues to earn the promotion but, while recovering from his start with the Richmond Flying Squirrels last Wednesday, he felt tightness in the elbow. After a battery of tests, he was shut down and sent to Scottsdale on Sunday.
He had his worst career start in his Double-A debut, allowing nine earned runs in 3 ⅔ innings, but rebound on July 6 with five scoreless innings against Reading. He suspects, though, the humidity during that game in Virginia contributed to the injury. His body began to fatigue earlier than usual, he said, resulting in him “throwing with more arm” instead of his usual mechanics.
“I haven’t been given a real timetable for when I’ll get back,” he said, “but the fact I’m not in pain is a good sign and I think I’ll be fine.”
The hope, of course, is that this detour will be brief.
Big dreams and attainable goals
The former Roy C. Ketcham High School star has excelled as a professional. Last year, he pitched to a 2.96 ERA in 76 innings at short-season Class A, which prompted a promotion to High-A in Oregon, where he posted a 1.44 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP in 31 ⅓ innings.
He led the minor leagues with 164 strikeouts that season. And, after recovering this spring from what he described as “minor back pain,” he was again assigned to Eugene, where he fanned 47 batters in 31 innings through seven starts, which got him elevated to Richmond.
“My first promotion was a shock to me,” said Murphy, who starred at LeMoyne College and was selected by the Giants in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. “I was pitching well in San Jose, but I hadn’t really allowed myself to think about moving up.
“This time, the manager called to let me know I was promoted, and it was more of a sigh of relief. My goal was to pitch in Double-A this year. It’s one step closer to the big leagues. I have to keep bettering myself and climbing that ladder.”
The next rung in that progression would be the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, which is a level below the major leagues. Joe Panik, a Hopewell Junction product, soared through the Giants farm system and helped them win the World Series as a rookie in 2014. The infielder went on to become an all-star and win a Gold Glove with San Francisco before retiring earlier this year.
Murphy, of course, imagines himself reaching those heights and enjoying similar success. Based on his trajectory to this point ― and his ranking, according to MLB Pipeline ― those fantasies are no longer pipedreams.
His promotion in late June came with a cross-country relocation, going from the Pacific Northwest back to the east coast, which he welcomed. (Well, aside from the muggy summer in Virginia). Being within a few hundred miles of New York and having his family able to attend more games appealed to him.
“The west is cool, and I've made a lot of friends out there,” he said, “but the east coast is closer to my heart. That’s home.”
The June 30 outing for Richmond notwithstanding, when Murphy said he was “a little nervous” and trying too hard to nibble around the plate against the Bowie Baysox, the right-hander has mostly breezed through his competition.
Murphy always had impeccable control along with deceptive off-speed pitches. He was the Journal’s Pitcher of the Year as a senior at Ketcham, then a growth spurt after high school and increased velocity caught the eyes of professional scouts.
He now can hit 94 mph with his four-seam fastball, and that’s complemented by a curveball, changeup and slider. He recently has tinkered with the changeup, he said, altering his grip to slow the pitch by an additional three miles per hour. At 83-84 mph, there now is greater separation in the speed of his changeup and fastball.
“I used to throw it like a three-fingered fastball,” he explained. “Now, I’m spreading my fingers apart more, almost like a knuckleball, and it’s helped. Minute changes can make a big difference.”
As much as his talent and the physical adjustments, Murphy attributed his success to an unwavering belief in his ability.
“The biggest thing is having confidence that my pitches can play well in the strike zone, that I can get strikes without (batters) having to chase,” said Murphy, who walked only 26 batters and pitched to a 0.91 WHIP in 21 starts last season. “There are times you’ll throw a pitch you feel good about and they’ll still hit it, but you can’t let that diminish your confidence.”
Nor will this current setback disrupt his dream of one day, perhaps within the next couple years, going back to Oracle Park and being welcomed there not as a visitor.
“You imagine yourself there and it’s amazing,” he said of possibly becoming a San Francisco Giant. “I’ll do anything to get there, starting or relieving, as long as I get to contribute. I know myself well enough to know what’s an attainable goal and I’ve set high standards for myself. I don’t think it’s far-fetched at this point.”
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Ketcham's Ryan Murphy, San Francisco Giants prospect, promoted
