Blue Jays Former Third-Round Pick Heads Overseas To Play for KBO Team
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With their third-round pick in the 2013 MLB draft, the Toronto Blue Jays selected right-handed pitcher Patrick Murphy out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz.
Originally committed to pitch at the University of Oregon, he opted to skip college after the Blue Jays signed him to a $500,000 bonus. It also enabled him to rehab under the guidance of a professional team as he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2012 and missed the entire 2013 campaign.
It was not until 2016 that he got fully healthy, because upon his return from Tommy John rehab, another long-term ailment arose.
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After making his professional debut in 2014 and throwing four innings, he was shutdown because of numbness in his hand and arm that was being caused by one of his ribs pinching a nerve.
Surgery was performed to remove the rib shortly after.
But, when the numbness didn’t stop, he underwent a procedure to remove a nerve in his elbow and he missed the entirety of the 2015 campaign.
Murphy performed incredibly well in 2016, 2017 and 2018, looking like a future part of Toronto's pitching staff at the Major League level. He recorded ERAs of 3.18, 3.04 and 2.65 in those seasons across Single-A, High-A, Gulf Coast League and Double-A.
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After recording a 4.71 ERA in 2019 at Double-A, he made his MLB debut during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign.
In 2021, he was performing at a high level in Triple-A, but was never able to recapture that production in the big leagues.
The Blue Jays eventually placed him on waivers after eight appearances and 9.1 innings thrown with a 4.82 ERA.
He was claimed off waivers by the Washington Nationals, where he made 23 appearances between 2021 and 2022, which was his last time pitching in the bigs.
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Fast forward to present day, Murphy was released from his minor league contract with the Texas Rangers so that he could pursue an opportunity overseas.
According to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net, he has signed for $277,000 with the KT Wiz of the KBO League.
It is his second trip overseas, as he spent the 2024 campaign in Japan with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
If he can find similar success in Korea as he did in Japan, there is certainly a chance an MLB team will come calling again in 2026.
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