Murf Gray Proves Pirates Right After Promotion
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PITTSBURGH — Murf Gray has had one of the best seasons of any prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system and he showed exactly why in his most recent game.
Gray made his debut for Double-A Altoona against Reading Fighting Phils (Philadelphia Phillies on July 17 and hit a home run in his second at-bat of the game.
He hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning, which was down in the zone and came off of Reading right-handed starting pitcher Luke Russo, and put the Curve up 2-0.
It was a big home run for Gray, his 24th of the season, and helped Altoona get a 6-2 win in their first game back from the All-Star break.
Welcome to Altoona, Murf Gray! His first Double-A hit is his 24th home run of the season! pic.twitter.com/jJeKY4iL4x
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) July 17, 2026
Gray Dominating in 2026
There hasn't been a better hitting prospect for the Pirates this season than Gray, who is showing the very best of his game in his first full professional campaign.
Gray has slashed .328/.407/615 for an OPS of 1.022 in 82 games across three different levels, with 67 runs scored, 104 hits, 19 doubles, 24 home runs, 71 RBI and 38 walks to 72 strikeouts.
He leads all Pirates prospects in runs scored, hits, home runs, RBI and ranks third in doubles, while also posting the best batting average, slugging percentage and OPS, while also ranking second in on-base percentage in players with 50 appearances or more.
Gray had just earned a promotion from High-A Greensboro ahead of this game, where he also was one of the team's best hitters.
He batted .302/.381/.610 for an OPS of .991 during his 43 games with High-A Greensboro from May 19 to July 12, with 37 runs scored, 52 hits, eight doubles, 15 home runs and 36 RBI.
It was a sensational month of June for Gray, who batted .333/.417/.644 for an OPS of 1.061, with 29 hits in 87 at-bats, 17 runs scored, six doubles, seven home runs, 15 RBI and 14 walks to 19 strikeouts, earning South Atlantic League Player of the Month honors.
Gray also dominated with Single-A Bradenton to start the season, slashing .359/.436/.606 for an OPS of 1.042 in 38 games, with 29 runs scored, 51 hits, 11 doubles, eight home runs and 34 RBI.
How Far Can Murf Gray Go This Season?
It's been quite the season for Gray, who the Pirates took 73rd overall in Competitive Balance Round B out of Fresno State.
Gray is a bit more mature and older than those around him, at least in the lower levels of the minor leagues, and will turn 23 years old in December, so the Pirates won't have as much hesitation towards his ensuing promotions.
He'll have to continue the play he did in Bradenton and Greensboro with Altoona to eventually earn a promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis by the end of 2026.
Gray is putting himself on projection to make the major leagues at some point in 2027 and if he can continue developing his bat, he'll make it a hard decision on the Pirates for them to not bring him up.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.