Don’t draft these 5 Mariners players in fantasy baseball

Mariners players to avoid in fantasy baseball – #3 Tom Murphy

I can imagine fans being unhappy with me putting Tom Murphy on this list, but hear me out. As much as I like Murphy, I am a little worried about the catching situation in Seattle and how he is performing in Spring Training.

I am sure Murphy will be the Opening Day starter and will receive a majority of the starts, but the coaching staff also likes Luis Torrens. When you’re playing fantasy baseball, it is important to draft players that play almost every day. Catchers are a little different because they can’t be behind the dish every single game anyways, but oftentimes they will go DH on their days off.

Not only do I think that Torrens will cut into Tom Murphy’s playtime, but I also don’t think Murphy will be slotted in as the DH. The Mariners lineup is filled with depth and I want Kyle Seager to be the primary DH (probably will be France) which puts Murphy on the bench “on his days off.”

I know that Murphy was fantastic in 2019, but his Spring performances haven’t impressed me. The 29-year-old is hitting .200 with a .294 OBP. He has just one home run and has struck out nine times in 30 at-bats.

Not only are his numbers lackluster, but the quality of pitching he has faced is also 7.2 out of 10 according to Baseball Reference (7 = AA, and 8 = AAA). I know it’s only Spring Training but we are so close to Opening Day and I am unsure about how much Murphy will play.

I would also avoid Murphy because he might go undrafted. I don’t think many people know how good Tom was in 2019. In Fantasy Pros, he is the 22nd ranked catcher. Most fantasy owners don’t draft two catchers (I would recommend it), so Murphy would be available in I would guess 50% of leagues.

Just keep a close eye on how he does during the season, but you don’t have to draft him.