Inbox: Is Murphy ready for everyday role in Majors?

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Is Tom Murphy REALLY ready for the Majors? His defense still needs work! #ResignHundley — @Rockkstarr11

Is Murphy, who blasted five home runs and two doubles in 49 Major League plate appearances, ready defensively, or should the Rockies re-sign veteran Nick Hundley?

Murphy looks nothing like the shorter, more flexible Tony Wolters, who is a whiz at pitch-framing and helps gain strikes on borderline pitches. Wolters tied for fifth in the Majors in Baseball Prospectus’ CSAA (Called Strikes Above Average) at .017 — or nearly two added strikes per 100 pitches. The leader, the Cubs’ Miguel Montero, was at .030, or worth an extra strikeout per 100 pitches.

Scouts who watched Murphy at Triple-A Albuquerque questioned his defense, but the pitch framing stats are decent and are improving. He had CSAAs of .003 during his brief time in the Majors and .004 at Triple-A. Last year, Murphy was -.021 in the big leagues and -.002 at Triple-A. Murphy is developing a setup that works for him, rather than adhering to convention.

Hundley’s veteran presence for two seasons helped the young staff, although the CSAA figures weren’t kind: -.016 in 2015 and -.015 in ’16.

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Considering the now formidable rotation, do you think the Rox still draft heavy on pitchers in the next upcoming draft(s)? — RoxRake

The Rockies should never take the emphasis away from pitching in the Draft and in Latin America. Frontline starting pitching on the free agent market will always be expensive and, with the Coors Field factor, unpredictable. In fact, as long as the staff stays young, the Rockies need to always protect themselves in case a pitcher struggles or is injured.

With the emergence of guys like Jon Gray, Tyler Anderson…. Is there a chance that veteran SP think about coming to mentor? — @jared_lariviere

With righties Chad Bettis and Tyler Chatwood having meshed with pitching coaches Steve Foster and Darren Holmes and having gone through the severe ups and downs that come with …

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