Scouting Report - RHP - Luke Murphy

 

Luke Murphy

 

RHP         6-5         175         Vanderbilt 

 

2020 Vanderbilt stat line - 4-G, 0-starts, 0-0, 13.50, 2-IP, 4-K, 9-BB 

 

Prospect Live -

 

Luke Murphy (R)

 

6’5’’ 175

 

Vanderbilt

 

Murphy, a right hander out of Vanderbilt has the goods to be a fixture in a big league rotation in the future. He has already had Tommy John, though there should not be concern, as Vandy has a history of treating its pitchers’ arms well. I find this critical when evaluating college arms.

 

Murphy has a very projectable frame, though quite frankly I would like to see him put on 25 plus pounds, as he is very lean. Murphy has a lively fastball reaching as high as 96 on the gun (solid spin rate over 2400), and could throw even harder with some weight gain. His breaking stuff is top notch as well, with a hooking slider being his go to. The slider features a ton of horizontal break on it, making it a fantastic option playing low in the strike zone.

 

Mechanically there are some concerns when it comes to Murphy however. He tends to lean from his front side into the hill on occasion instead of sinking down into his back leg pre drive. This movement causes Murphy to have to compensate for the lost energy and rapidly pull with his glove side shoulder to deliver the pitch. This creates drag on the elbow and could have been the cause of his Tommy John injury through repetition a couple years back.

 

The mechanical blip can easily be corrected by ensuring he stays back on that right foot pre drive; it should make his motion more effortless. Despite the history, he has recovered well from his injury and continues to project high. The team that drafts him will have to make arm care priority number one from day one.

 

 https://vucommodores.com/roster/luke-murphy/ -

 

As a Redshirt Freshman (2020)

 

Season canceled due to coronavirus outbreak

 

SEC’s 32nd-best 2021 MLB Draft prospect by D1Baseball

 

Made four relief appearances

 

Recorded at least one strikeout in three appearances

 

Tossed a scoreless frame, fanning two vs. Central Arkansas (March 3)

Mack's spin - 

The 2021 season will determine what round Murphy is picked in. 

Right now, it is undetermined.

Click here for the full list of Mack's Scouting Reports.