Sean Murphy should be in serious discussions for NL MVP, alongside front-runner and his Atlanta Braves teammate, Ronald Acuña Jr.
Although Ronald Acuña Jr. is quite literally running away with NL MVP at the halfway point, his new Atlanta Braves teammate Sean Murphy is putting together one heck of a season in his own right.
Acuña may be the first player ever with 20-plus home runs and 40-plus stolen bases before the All-Star Game, but you cannot deny what Murphy has meant to the Braves lineup either. Atlanta has already won the three-team deal to pry Murphy away from Oakland that sent William Contreras to Milwaukee, but nobody expected this type of breakout season out of the backstop.
In 67 games thus far for the Braves, Murphy is slashing .306/.400/.599 with 17 home runs and 55 runs batted in. Let's not forget what he does behind the plate with that rocket right arm of his, too.
Still, the MLB.com team didn't have Murphy in the top five of National League MVP voting…
- Ronald Acuña Jr.
- Freddie Freeman
- Corbin Carroll
- Luis Arraez
- Mookie Betts
All five rated above Murphy will also start for the National League in Seattle on Tuesday night, but Murphy is a catcher hitting over .300 with serious pop and calling one great game after another.
Nobody is beating out Acuña, just like it is Shohei Ohtani's to lose in the AL, but where is the love?!
Atlanta Braves All-Star catcher Sean Murphy should be a serious MVP candidate
I think a lot of it has to do with how well Acuña has played all year, as well as Murphy and him being on the same team. Then again, Los Angeles Dodgers teammates Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts got more love from the MLB.com voters than Murphy. I have no issues with any of the guys ranked ahead of Murphy, but what he is doing behind the plate for Atlanta is ridiculous.
We knew that Murphy would provide some much-needed pop-time assistance from behind the plate. Travis d'Arnaud calls great games too, but his best attribute for the Braves is his big bat. What we have seen out of Murphy this season is him playing some truly unencumbered baseball. Getting out of Oakland was getting out of Dodge for him. With so much protection, he is thriving!
Do I think Murphy will win NL MVP this year? No, because he is a catcher, meaning he cannot physically play every day. With everyday players like Acuña, Betts, Freeman, Miami's Luis Arraez and Arizona's Corbin Carroll kicking so much tail, it is hard to see voters changing their minds unless it is so painfully obvious. Regardless, the Braves have the best catcher in all of baseball.
If you have doubts about Murphy's NL MVP candidacy, just ask the Tampa Bay Rays about him…