The Atlanta Braves are happy to have Sean Murphy back. After starting the 2025 season on the IL with a cracked left rib suffered at the end of February, he was activated on April 6th and has delivered for the Braves, who have desperately needed something positive to focus on in a dismal start to the season.
Murphy’s Power Surge
Murphy has been on an absolute power tear to begin his 2025 season. He has hit six home runs in his first 12 games of the season and given the Braves a ray of hope. In his first at-bat, he smashed a hanging sweeper from Zack Wheeler and dumped it 401 feet into the left field seats for a 3-run homer.
Four days later, he deposited his second homer of the season against Manuel Rodríguez and the Tampa Bay Rays in the 7th and followed it up with number three in the 8th, this time off of Hunter Bigge. The ball has been flying out of George M. Steinbrenner Field, and Murphy is just the latest example.
It didn’t take long to watch his fourth fly, this time north of the border, against the Toronto Blue Jays. In the 1st inning, with Easton Lucas on the mound, Murphy crushed a changeup to left center field. Numbers five and six have come this week, at home at Truist Park in Atlanta against the St. Louis Cardinals. His 5th was off another changeup, this time from JoJo Romero, while number six was roped off a slider from Andre Pallante.
Can We Expect More of This?
In 72 games last year, Murphy hit a measly .193 with a .636 OPS, but he did miss two months after tearing his left oblique on Opening Day in Philadelphia. It seems that it affected his swing and power numbers as he never found it throughout the season. He was solid in 2023, earning an All-Star nod, and combined for 13.4 WAR from 2021-23 with Phillies’ catcher J.T. Realmuto. If Murphy can recreate those numbers and continue his power torrent, he’s going to have quite a good season and the Braves could use a little of that.
