Yes, Sean Murphy And Bo Naylor Can Coexist
In one of the latest reports from MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Cleveland Guardians are "among the most active suitors" for Athletics catcher Sean Murphy.
As surprising as it is, it seems as if some Guardians fans question whether or not Murhpy and the young Bo Naylor can coexist. I'm here to tell you one thing; they absolutely can coexist, and I believe Naylor would benefit more sharing game-action with Murphy.
Sean Murphy Is Not Your Average Catcher
Murhpy is 28 years old. He's been in the MLB for four seasons now, and he's been wasting his time away with the Athletics.
Murphy is a career .236 hitter, with a slugging percentage of .429 and an OPS of .755.
His spilts are a thing of beauty as well, hitting .242 against lefties and .252 against righties. We all know Tito likes to strategize around the opposing pitching matchup, but when you have a guy with these splits, he can be in the lineup no matter the pitcher.
While he's not the most dominant catcher hitting-wise out there, he's a better hitter at the catcher position than what the Guardians have had in years.
Murphy is also extremely solid defensively, having won a Gold Golve award in 2021 with the Athletics.
Murphy would be the perfect compliment to a young catcher like Bo Naylor. What makes Murphy different? He doesn't have to be an everyday catcher for this Guardians team.
While Murphy has only been in the league for four years, he's played in over 100 games just twice out of those four seasons. Bring Murphy in, and he will be your number one catcher. Knowing you have a really good young talent in Bo Naylor behind him should make you feel even better, not mad that Murphy would take reps away from Naylor.
Bo Naylor Isn't Ready For A Contending Team (Yet)
While the above headline might hurt some feelings, the simple truth is that Bo Naylor is just not ready to be an everyday catcher just yet.
The kid is a really good young and raw prospect, but after the way last season played out, the Guardians find themselves in a very unique spot.
They were able to take the Yankees to five games before losing in the ALDS, despite everything else that happened last year. The largest hole offensively for the Guardians last year was in fact at the catcher position. Seemingly every time Austin Hedges was at the plate, it was an automatic out. In no way, shape, or form would inserting a 22 year old catcher with eight major league plate appearances into the lineup everyday make sense. Add Murphy, and everything changes.
Last year, Naylor hit .263 across all of his MiLB action, and went hit-less in his eight MLB at-bats.
I'll even play devil's advocate here; say Naylor ends up being way ahead of schedule and looks like he's ready to take over the league in a year or less. Sign Murhpy for two years, and you still have two high-level catchers for multiple years, while making sure Naylor is the real deal, being able to have Murhpy as a "security blanket".
No player ends up playing 162 games in a season, let alone at the catcher position. The Murphy/Naylor one-two punch would be lethal, one that has the potential to be a match made in heaven.
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