Braves add potential Sean Murphy replacement to Spring Training roster
With the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror and pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training this week, Opening Day is officially right around the corner. Between now and then, most Braves fans are still hoping for at least one more significant addition. They’ve been rumored to be in on a number of starting pitchers […] The post Braves add potential Sean Murphy replacement to Spring Training roster appeared first on SportsTalkATL.com.
With the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror and pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training this week, Opening Day is officially right around the corner.
Between now and then, most Braves fans are still hoping for at least one more significant addition. They’ve been rumored to be in on a number of starting pitchers still remaining on the free agent market, and another bat to add some juice to the lineup would be welcomed. However, one of the most underrated positions to watch this Spring Training will be catcher.
With Sean Murphy expected to miss significant time to begin the season after undergoing hip surgery last year, there will be an open competition behind the plate. Veterans Chadwick Tromp and Sandy León will be involved, but the favorite for that spot might have just been added to the roster in the form of Jonah Heim.
Heim has been a legitimate starting-caliber catcher for the last four seasons. He’s coming off a down year in which he hit just .213 with a .602 OPS, but just a few years ago he hit .258 with 18 homers and a .752 OPS while winning a Gold Glove and earning an All-Star nod for the Texas Rangers, who went on to win the World Series in 2023.
That kind of production is unlikely in Atlanta with Drake Baldwin in the fold, but Heim is more than capable of handling the backup catcher role until Murphy is cleared, and there is some upside here. During his career year in 2023, current Braves hitting coach Tim Hyers held the same role with the Rangers. Perhaps that reunion could help Atlanta find some lightning in a bottle for the first six weeks or so while Murphy is sidelined.
—
Photo: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire
The post Braves add potential Sean Murphy replacement to Spring Training roster appeared first on SportsTalkATL.com.
What's Your Reaction?
