Donald Rex Murphy (born March 10, 1983) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

. He attended

Riverside Polytechnic High School Riverside Polytechnic High School is a four-year public high school in Riverside, California, United States, and part of the Riverside Unified School District. The current facility, located on Victoria Avenue, was opened in September 1965; the t ...

and Orange Coast Community College in

Costa Mesa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge of t ...

, California, and was selected by the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

in the 5th round of the

2002 Major League Baseball draft The 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 4 and 5. It is featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book '' Moneyball''. First round selections Supplemental first round compensation selections * ...

. He is currently the manager for the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Dunedin Blue Jays The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. They are located in Dunedin, Florida, and play their home games at TD Ballpark, ...

, a position he was named to in 2020 after spending several years as a hitting coach in the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

organization.

Career

Kansas City Royals

In and , he appeared in 39 games for the Royals, hitting .163 with one

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

and eleven RBI. He was acquired by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

in exchange for cash considerations on November 28, 2006.

Oakland Athletics

He began the season at

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, the A's

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

Triple-A affiliate. He hit .342 for the River Cats and was recalled to Oakland June 8 when

Milton Bradley Milton Bradley (November 8, 1836 – May 30, 1911) was an American business magnate, game pioneer and publisher, credited by many with launching the board game industry, with his eponymous enterprise, which was purchased by Hasbro in 1984, and ...

was placed on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

Baltimore Orioles

Murphy was signed by the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

to a minor league deal with a spring training invitation for the 2009 season.

Florida/Miami Marlins

On December 14, 2009, Murphy signed a minor league contract with the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

with an invitation to spring training. He was called up on July 3, 2010. He hit a walk-off home run to defeat the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

on July 19, 2010. It was the first walk-off home run by the Marlins that season. Continuing to play with the Marlins in a utility role, Murphy's season was cut short on September 1 when he dislocated his right wrist on a tough catch in the fourth inning. He had surgery the following day, ending one of his most successful seasons. Murphy became a free agent on October 15 after refusing a minor league assignment. He was re-signed to a minor league contract on October 18. Donnie Murphy on August 25, 2012

In 2012, Murphy ended up on the 25-man roster for the Marlins going into opening day. On June 10, 2012, the Marlins designated Murphy for assignment to make room for

Gaby Sánchez Gabriel Sánchez (born September 2, 1983) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida/Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the ...

. He passed waivers and was sent to the

New Orleans Zephyrs New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. On July 27, he was recalled by the Marlins after a trade sent

Hanley Ramírez Hanley Ramírez (born December 23, 1983) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Florida / Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Cleveland Indians. Ram� ...

and

Randy Choate Randol Doyle Choate (born September 5, 1975) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. The New York Yankees selected him in the 1997 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft from Florida State University. Choate made his MLB debut for the Ya ...

to the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

for

Nathan Eovaldi Nathan Edward Eovaldi ( ; born February 13, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Ra ...

and

Scott McGough Scott Thomas McGough (born October 31, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Miami Marlins in 2015. He also played for the Tokyo Yakult Swall ...

. On August 3, he pulled his left hamstring against the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

. Five days later, he was placed on the 15-day DL. On August 19, he and

Emilio Bonifacio Emilio may refer to: * Emilio Navaira, a Mexican-American singer often called "Emilio" * Emilio Piazza Memorial School, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State * Emilio (given name) * ''Emilio'' (film), a 2008 film by Kim Jorgensen See also * Emílio (dis ...

were both reinstated. Murphy ended the year with three homers, six doubles, two triples, 12 RBIs, nine walks and one stolen base while batting .216 in 116 at-bats. On October 18, 2012, Murphy was outrighted off the Marlins' 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 17, 2012, Murphy signed a minor league contract with the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

. He was released on March 27, 2013.

Chicago Cubs

In April 2013, Murphy signed with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

. Murphy hit a career-high 11 home runs in 2013 with Chicago, leading to him signing a one-year deal worth $825,000 with the Cubs after the season. Murphy also underwent surgery for a torn meniscus he had originally injured in 2009.

Texas Rangers

On March 26, 2014, Murphy was claimed off waivers from the Chicago Cubs by the Texas Rangers. He was designated for assignment on July 7. With the Rangers, he hit .196, with 4 homers, 14 RBIs, and 11 walks. He was released on July 9.

Cincinnati Reds

On July 18, Murphy was signed by the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

and assigned to AAA Louisville. He was released in August.

Atlanta Braves

Murphy signed with

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

on August 16, 2014.

Second stint with the Brewers

Murphy re-signed with the

for the 2015 season and was assigned to AAA

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockie ...

. On August 2, 2015, Murphy was released by the Brewers.

Coaching

On February 23, 2016, the

hired Murphy to be their new hitting coach for the Class-A

Lansing Lugnuts The Lansing Lugnuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Lansing, Michigan, and play their home games at Jackson Field (Lansing), Jackson Field. The Midwe ...

for the 2016 season. Murphy became the hitting coach for the Advanced-A

on January 10, 2018. After spending the 2019 season as the hitting coach for the Double-A

New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major league club. During the team's first seas ...

, Murphy was named the manager for Dunedin on January 31, 2020. On March 9, 2021, Murphy was named the manager of the

Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium. ...

for the 2021 season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Donnie 1983 births Living people Kansas City Royals players Oakland Athletics players Florida Marlins players Miami Marlins players Chicago Cubs players Texas Rangers players Orange Coast Pirates baseball players Burlington Bees players Spokane Indians players Wilmington Blue Rocks players Wichita Wranglers players Sacramento River Cats players Stockton Ports players Norfolk Tides players New Orleans Zephyrs players Jupiter Hammerheads players Iowa Cubs players Major League Baseball infielders Baseball players from California People from Lakewood, California Riverside Polytechnic High School alumni Sportspeople from Los Angeles County, California Phoenix Desert Dogs players Round Rock Express players Gwinnett Braves players Louisville Bats players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players