June 4, 2019 at 4:03 PM
Red Sox select Chris Murphy with their sixth-round pick
With their sixth-round pick (197 overall) in the 2019 draft, Boston has selected Chris Murphy, a left-handed pitcher out of the University of San Diego. He is ranked 155th by Baseball America and 182nd by Perfect Game.
Murphy will turn 21 on June 5, and he has consistently missed bats throughout his college career. In 64 1/3 innings this season he struck out 87 batters, though he also walked 43 and hit 15. He finished with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. He has a fastball that sits in the low-90s that he can ramp up to 95, and he complements that with an above-average curveball and average changeup. He has the arsenal to stick in the rotation, but he will need to improve his command and control in order to work deeper into games.
Playing for Brewster in the Cape Cod League last summer he struck out 34 over 23 1/3 innings, but also walked 18 and pitched to a 5.01 ERA. MLB.com lists him as a senior, but his own college has him listed as a junior, and it will be interesting to see which one ends up being right as that will ultimately affect his signing bonus. Most likely the college listing is correct, and he will get close to the full slot of $237,000 for this pick.
Photo Credit: Chris Murphy by usdtoreros.com