Braves pitching prospect Owen Murphy making birdies in Augusta

With the 20th pick in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft, the Atlanta Braves selected Owen Murphy, a prep pitcher from Riverside-Brookfield High School in Riverside, Illinois. Murphy had a pretty rough start to his professional career when he pitched for Augusta last year. In three starts, Murphy had a 7.71 ERA with 10 strikeouts and six walks.

You have got to remember, though, this is an 18-year-old kid, fresh out of high school, facing guys that are nearly four years older than him. He is trying to adjust to the grind that is playing minor-league baseball. It isn't easy making that transition for anyone.

Fast forward to 2023, Murphy is a year older and has had some time to learn how to live life as a professional baseball player. He currently has a 4-3 record with a 4.84 ERA. He has 80 strikeouts and 26 walks in 61 innings pitched over 16 starts. 

His past two starts for the Augusta GreenJackets have been a glimpse of what is to come for him, hopefully. He started against the Columbia Fireflies on August 4th and pitched five innings allowing one run on three hits, one walk, and nine strikeouts. That great performance carried over into tonight's start against the Salem Red Sox where he pitched 6.1 innings as he carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He gave up one run on one hit, one walk, and eight strikeouts as the GreenJackets won 3-1.

It may be a while before we see Murphy at the major league level, but it is great to see him honing his skills this year in Augusta.