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Boston Red Sox Prospects: Who should be “untouchable” in trades?

By Hunter Noll

FT. MYERS, FL - FEBRUARY 21: Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom of the Boston Red Sox addresses the media during a press conference during a spring training team workout on February 21, 2021 at jetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
FT. MYERS, FL - FEBRUARY 21: Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom of the Boston Red Sox addresses the media during a press conference during a spring training team workout on February 21, 2021 at jetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /
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Red Sox, Fenway Park
BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 22: A general view of the stadium as the sun sets before a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on September 22, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

Red Sox 10th-ranked prospect, Chris Murphy (starting pitcher)

Bello and Mata are insane. Two top-tier pitching prospects. Let me throw one more at you though. Not only is Chris Murphy one of the most underrated prospects in the Red Sox system, but he has one thing going for him that Bello and Mata don’t have.

Murphy is a lefty.

First let’s look at the numbers. Murph has a 1.91 ERA, .160 BAA, 0.97 WHIP, and 51 strikeouts over 42 1/3 innings pitched this season. He’s given up two-or-fewer earned runs in every single appearance this year. One outing saw him give up three runs, but they were all unearned. Consistently great.

Good fastball. Solid curveball and slider that could both become top-tier. And an elite changeup.

I’ve never exactly been quiet about how good I think Murphy is. And this year he’s proving it in Double-A. He has College experience and could make the jump to Triple-A very soon. This is a guy that realistically could factor into the Major League plans for next year. There’s even an off-chance he could contribute by the end of this season.

I also think he sort of falls into the same category as Mata. He’s not seen as an elite prospect. So Murphy probably isn’t the main piece in a trade and it doesn’t sit right with me to trade him away as a “sweetener” in a deal. Don’t do that please.

Pitching has not exactly been Boston’s friend the last few years. Everyone’s always talking about their shortcomings there. So holding on to a few of your top-pitching prospects seems like a great move. Why not hold on to one of the top lefty-pitching prospects?

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