Photo: Philliedelphia/Andrew Gillen
Jim Murphy, the seven-year Phillies minor leaguer, is "done playing" baseball at the age of 29. Jay Floyd of PhoulBallz.com caught up with the first baseman of the 2014 Iron Pigs, and Murphy shed some light on his decision.
"I didn't get a spring training invite from (a major league affiliate)," Murphy shared. "I don't want to play independent ball. I'm done playing."
Later, Murphy would go on to clarify that he is not retiring from baseball, and may be open to a return to the game, under the right circumstances.
He declared that, despite stating that he's done playing, he prefers the phrase "un-signed free agent".
The Phillies took Murphy in the seventeenth round of the 2008 MLB Draft. In 2008, Murphy saw time in the Gulf Coast League and with both Williamsport and Clearwater, recording an overall .372 on-base percentage with 5 home runs and 30 RBIs. Through the 2012 season, he played with both Lakewood and Clearwater, and saw his power numbers jump. Murphy collected 59 home runs and 140 extra-base hits in that four-year span, earning him a spot on the 2013 Reading Fightin Phils. A .352 OBP with 23 home runs and 26 extra-base hits that year helped Murphy jump once again, reaching the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs in a contract season. With a dip in power numbers and batting average, the Phillies elected not to bring Murphy back.
Now a free agent, Murphy is able to sign with any team. However, as Floyd points out, he does not wish to play in the independent leagues. There is still the possibility Murphy's career resumes in the next season or two, but coaching seems to be the path he's heading down.
Murphy has long been viewed as a player that could one day have a future in coaching. Through his career, he'd regularly spend time during off-seasons working at youth clinics and told me a few winters back that he would like to stay in the game after his playing days were over, whether as a coach or by working in the front office for a team. [Floyd]
Andrew Gillen, Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com
