Prep baseball: Murphy happy with his decision to turn pro

(minorleaguebaseball.com)

TAMPA - While in high school at IMG Acadamies, J.R. Murphy lived out a dream when he accepted a full scholarship to play baseball at the University of Miami.

Then the pro game came calling.

Murphy was taken in the second round of 2009 draft by the New York Yankees, who offered Murphy a $1.25 million signing bonus.

He accepted, and the 20-year-old catcher is now with the Yankees' high Single-A affiliate in Tampa.

He's happy to be there.

"I think about it all the time. All my buddies are in college, so I talk to them all the time," the Bradenton resident said Wednesday at George M. Steinbrenner Field. "But I don't have any regrets. This is definitely the right decision I made."

Murphy is a career .271 hitter in 165 pro games with the Yankees, and made the South Atlantic League's All-Star game this year while with the Yanks' low Single-A affiliate in Charleston.

So it appears he has indeed made the right choice - even if he grew up a Boston Red Sox fan.

"You can't beat playing for the Yankees. But I was a Red Sox fan, so it was kind of ironic when that happened," he said. "But you can't beat this."

For more on my chat with Murphy, including his thoughts on playing for an organization stockpiled with catchers and coming home to face the Bradenton Marauders later this month, check out bradenton.com this weekend.

Prep baseball: Murphy shines in Tampa debut

(photo from minorleaguebaseball.com)

Pendleton School grad J.R. Murphy wasted little time making an impact with the Tampa Yankees.
The Bradenton native went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored Thursday during Tampa's 8-1 win over the Dunedin Blue Jays at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Murphy was bumped to the high Single-A team Thursday from the Yankees' low Single-A affiliate in Charleston.
Murphy batted third and played catcher Thursday for the Tampa Yankees, who are the two-time defending champions of the Florida State League and are 1-0 in the second half.
They finished fourth in the FSL's North Division during the first half, going 37-32.
The Yankees selected Murphy during the second round of the 2009 draft. Prior to his promotion, he was batting .297 with six home runs and 32 RBIs with Charleston, which earned him an invitation to the South Atlantic League's All-Star Game.
Murphy and the Tampa Yankees head to Bradenton on July 21 for the first of a four-game series with the Marauders.

Prep baseball: J.R. Murphy promoted to Tampa

(photo from riveraveblues) J.R. Murphy is coming to Tampa.
And maybe McKechnie Field, too.
A Bradenton native and a graduate of The Pendleton School, Murphy was promoted Thursday from the New York Yankees' low Single-A affiliate in Charleston to its high Single-A team in Tampa.
The Tampa Yankees compete in the Florida State League and head to Bradenton to face the Marauders for a four-game series from July 21 through July 24.
The Yankees drafted Murphy in the second round of the 2009 draft and played nine games that summer with the organization's Gulf Coast League team. He spent all of last season with Charleston, batting .255 in 83 games.
Murphy began this season in Charleston, too, hitting .297 in 63 games with six home runs, 32 RBIs and 23 doubles. He was selected for the SAL All-Star team.
Drafted and listed as a catcher, Murphy has also split time at third base and DH this season.