Injuries have held back Murphy in Jays system

Photo: Vivek Jacob

By: Vivek Jacob

Canadian Baseball Network

DUNEDIN, FLA. – An athlete’s career is defined by his or her ability to maximize their talent.

Circumstances can often hinder an athlete’s potential, and in the case of Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Patrick B. Murphy, his greatest obstacle has been health.

Selected out of Chandler, Ariz., in the third round of the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft, Murphy has spent more time on the sidelines than in uniform.

“I had three pretty serious surgeries so I had a lot of down time, a lot of rehab,” he said. “Being down, being bitter, being sad about the whole thing doesn’t really help so I just try to stay positive, roll with the punches, and each day try to do something to get better and get closer to being back on the field.”

His career has been full of setbacks, beginning with Tommy John surgery in 2013. He needed two separate operations in 2014 and 2015 to address his issue with thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition requiring the removal of a nerve from both his elbow and rib.

Now 21, Murphy has had a long road back from obscurity. Unable to complete a full season since Grade 11 at Hamilton HS, he finally put together an impactful season, playing in 21 games across single-A Lansing and the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League. Murphy also earned an all-star appearance with the Canadians by posting a 2.84 earned-run average over 13 starts, ranking second-best in the league.

With a healthy season behind him, Murphy can feel the momentum of his career building.

“Getting back into game shape after three to four years was definitely fast paced,” he said. “Each rep, each time you’re out there slows the game down and you get more comfortable, more familiar with the game and it’s been good.”

Hoping to improve on last season, Murphy is ready to join the likes of Rowdy Tellez and Conner Greene; Blue Jays teammates from his draft class that are looking to make their mark on the big leagues.

“I can finally turn the page and realize that I’m healthy and good to go now. Let’s play some baseball.”