Milwaukee Brewers Prospects: #30 Brendan Murphy

The 2018 Milwaukee Brewers prospect list is officially released!

Coming in at ranked 30th on the Milwaukee Brewers list on MLB Pipeline is Brendan Murphy. This big lefty was drafted by the Crew in the fourth round of the 2017 draft. The young arm just turned 19 in January.

First Season

Murphy’s introductory season to professional baseball was pretty brief, 16 innings to be exact. His ERA was 6.19 with more walks than strikeouts for the AZL Brewers. He had just about an even split between starting and relieving.

Profile

When Murphy is described as a big lefty, it is not a turn of phrase. At his young age he listed at 6’4″ and 200 pounds. Despite his frame he throws a fastball that tops out at 93, but that should go up as he fills out.

According to his MLB Pipeline profile, Murphy’s changeup has the potential to be a plus pitch. Even now he creates a similar delivery to that of his fastball, but he will have to keep that up as he grows. Regardless, he does have some good fade on the pitch.

He also features a curveball, but it is very early in development. The suggestion on his prospect profile is that he might benefit more from turning it into a slider. But of course, anything can happen during his development.

How Does He Project?

It is too early to tell exactly how things will turn out for Murphy. His size is one of his best attributes at this point, however as he grows as a pitcher things will become more clear. He was on last years list, checking in at number 27.

His MLB ETA is projected as 2021. There is still a lot of development for him to do, but if that prediction is accurate he will be 22 years old when he debuts. As he plays, that year is subject to change. If he performs well he will reach the Milwaukee Brewers faster, which also means he will show up later, if at all with poor performance.

Next: Spring Opener Details

Murphy is one of my favorite Milwaukee Brewers prospects at this point. His big frame and the fact that he is a lefty give him a very intriguing combination. If his off speed develops he could turn into a fairly solid starter. However, I see him in more of a bullpen role.