4 Atlanta Braves deserving of first All-Star Game appearances

1. Sean Murphy has been an All-Star and more on the Atlanta Braves

Whenever the Braves landed Sean Murphy in the offseason trade with the Oakland A’s, I was exceptionally bullish on his potential to truly break out in this lineup. While his overall numbers in Oakland were good but far from great, the notion of adding the protection of the Atlanta lineup and the way he made contact in addition to playing elite defense promised drool-worthy potential.

And his performance in the 2023 season has indeed been worth drooling over.

Murphy has been a complete star for the Braves this season. Through 50 games, Murphy is slashing .288/.391/542 on the season with 11 home runs, 12 doubles and 40 RBI, the second best RBI total of anyone in Atlanta, which is saying something given the strength of the lineup.

It’s not a stretch to say that Murphy has been the best catcher in all of baseball so far for the 2023 campaign. He leads all catchers with at least 30 starts in OPS (.934) and is second among all catchers — first in the National League — in extra-base hits and RBI while also continuing to display one of the best defensive performances in the league at the position as well.

Prior to the start of the year, I looked at a few Braves who could be first-time All-Stars and mentioned Murphy as a candidate for the aforementioned potential in a new, better situation. There were a couple of people who laughed that off because of his numbers with the A’s. Through 50 games with Atlanta, though, there’s nothing to laugh at. Sean Murphy has been a superstar and surefire All-Star for this club.