Hooray! An Owl in the majors!

Notes: Murphy ready to hit the outfield
Converted shortstop will be in LA's reserves on Opening Day
By Lyle Spencer / MLB.com


ANAHEIM – Tommy Murphy couldn't have known it at the time, but his career was about to take an abrupt turn that sunny spring day in 2004 when he was told to go chase some fly balls in the outfield and see how it felt.

A shortstop who'd committed a total of 69 errors the previous two seasons in the Angels' farm system, Murphy had just been handed his ticket to the big time.

"The next day," he recalled, "they said I was an outfielder. It happened pretty quick. It took a full year at [Double-A] Arkansas for me to really feel like an outfielder."

Having already begun a transformation into the demanding art of switch-hitting, Murphy feels he bought time with the shift to the outfield, where he was a natural fit.

"I struggled early on with switch-hitting," Murphy said, "and it definitely gave me a chance to hang around long enough to swing the bat better from the left side. It's to the point now where some days I feel left-handed, some days I feel right-handed."

These days, he feels complete. He'll be in the home dugout at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Opening Day when the Angels engage Texas, having been selected along with Reggie Willits as the club's backup outfielders.

This made their good buddy, Nick Gorneault, the odd man out. Gorneault was dispatched to Triple-A Salt Lake, where he produced 186 RBIs in 237 games the past two seasons.

"Nick has come a long way, and he had a terrific spring," manager Mike Scioscia said. "He plays the game hard, and he's got a future. Murph and Reggie give us a lot of versatility out there. They can both do a lot of things. We really like our depth."

Gorneault, a right-handed hitter who brings a strong arm in left and right, showed Major League tools during Cactus League play, hitting .395 with a .553 slugging percentage. He certainly left an impression on Mike Lieberthal, bowling over the Dodgers' catcher to score in the Freeway Series.

After a great start, Murphy's offense tailed off as the spring wore on, and he finished at .235 with a .412 slugging percentage. Scioscia values his speed, defense and power from both sides.

"We'd talked about it internally for a few weeks," Scioscia said of the move to the outfield in '04. "He was too athletic to die on the vine at shortstop. He took right to it, and he took a different course.

"Murph is a kid we've seen grow up in our system, from a shortstop with good upside to being a premium center fielder. He's become a baseball player."

Willits, like Murphy, provides speed and the ability to play all three outfield spots. Offensively, his multiple skills are suited to Scioscia's fast-break style. Willits hit .320 this spring with a 419 on-base percentage.

Here is a link to his players profile page:

Tommy Murphy - Angel's Profile Page

quote from Cooney's Diamond Diary:

"The only thing that brightened my mood some was the sight of Tommy Murphy in the Angels' dugout last night. Tommy had won a tight battle for the final roster spot in Anaheim, and must have been sky high standing for the anthem on Opening Day in a Big League uniform. He's one of the nicest kids we've ever had in our program and everyone is happy for him and his wife Deborah.

I remember a day back in his freshman year when I passed Tommy walking to the locker room after a night practice. He looked pretty morose for a kid who had the future we all saw for him. I stopped him and said he needed to be a little more upbeat. This is baseball. It's fun. Tommy looked at me and said, "Baseball hasn't always been fun for me."

Murph was a kid who had such high standards for himself that he never felt he had done well enough. He never believed he was really that good.

Well, he has and he is.

I hope he's having fun now."

Does anyone know if he has played any yet, from the stats, it appears that he hasn't :(

no… not yet… when you have vlad, garret anderson, and steroid matthew jr., murph won't see too much playing time just yet… plus the angels have not had any blow-outs (that i have seen just yet) for murph to get some mop-up work… look for him to crack the season on a day game following a night game… vlad's knees are old man, he NEEDS some rest during a day game, hah