Murton progressing swimmingly
ATLANTA -- Only two summers ago, they were four more kids on Cape Cod, stars of the Wareham Gatemen in the renowned summer college league. Then the Red Sox recognized enough potential in the Cape kids that they invested more than $2.5 million to sign them last year in the amateur draft.
Now they are teammates again for Single A Sarasota: first-round picks David Murphy (17th overall) and Matt Murton (32d overall), 10th-rounder Chris Durbin, and 24th-rounder Iggy Suarez. And none has asserted himself more forcefully in the pro ranks than Murton. Murphy, Murton, and Durbin are outfielders, Suarez a middle infielder.
Murphy, a former Baylor standout who received the second-largest signing bonus ($1.525 million) for a position player in Sox history (Whitinsville, Mass., outfielder Rick Asadoorian, since traded to the Cardinals, signed for $1.725 million in 1999), has been sidelined since June 1 with a foot injury after trying to play through the discomfort with little success. Durbin, who played with Murphy at Baylor, and Suarez (Southwest Texas State) have made progress in their second pro seasons. Durbin has hit .254 with two homers and 15 RBIs while Suarez was hitting a combined .252 with one homer and 24 homers (he started the season at Single A Augusta).
But Murton, 22, who signed for $1.01 million out of Georgia Tech, has shined, claiming a spot with Sarasota shortstop Hanley Ramirez among the system's top prospects. Murton hit .390 over his last 22 games through Friday to raise his average to .288 from .247. He ranks among the league leaders with 11 homers, 44 RBIs, and a .378 on-base percentage, after hitting .286 with two homers and 29 RBIs in 53 games last year in his pro debut with short-season Single A Lowell.
Murton, who earned all-star honors in the Florida State League and won the home run derby, said he has refined his swing in recent weeks with help from the Sarasota coaching staff, though he also credited the Lowell staff, minor league hitting coordinator Orv Franchuk, and consultants Carl Yastrzemski and Dwight Evans for their tips.
"You take a bit from everybody and see how it fits," Murton said. "It has helped to give me some consistency, and I've felt comfortable the last 20 days or so."
A righthanded batter who is projected to hit for power and average, Murton's plan is to move rapidly through the system without rushing his development so much that it sets him back.
"I feel like I can help a big league ball club one day down the road," he said. "I hope I can continue to move through the organization and help the Red Sox win."
Bash master
Brian Daubach has made a strong case to return to Boston from Triple A Pawtucket, batting .316 with nine homers, 33 RBIs, and a .448 on-base percentage in 32 games. He has volunteered to play left field as well as first base and has provided a strong veteran presence for the PawSox. And third baseman Earl Snyder hit his 22d home run Friday as he remains on pace to shatter the club's season record of 36 shared by Izzy Alcantara (2001) and Jack Baker (1976). Outfielder George Lombard also is making some noise. Lombard, who has played in the majors for the Braves, Tigers, and Devil Rays, has hit .471 (8 for 17) since he was promoted from Double A Portland, where he batted .381 (24 for 63). He is 9 for 9 in steal attempts in his 21 games for Portland and Pawtucket. He missed the start of the season as he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery . . . The PawSox had plenty of help from the parent club last month with contributions from Daubach, Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon, Bill Mueller, Ellis Burks, Byung Hyun Kim, and Ramiro Mendoza, but went 10-18 in June, their worst month since July 1992. Injuries also have hurt the PawSox as starters Scott Cassidy (knee), Matt Beech (back) and Phil Seibel (elbow) remain sidelined . . . Four players for Double A Portland made the Eastern League all-star team: lefthander Abe Alvarez, catcher Jeff Bailey, shortstop Kenny Perez, and outfielder Brett Roneberg. Bailey had a 13-game hitting streak snapped Friday. Portland outfielder Mike Lockwood has hit .320 in 12 games since he was acquired from the A's for future considerations, but the Sea Dogs have temporarily lost righthander Chris Smith, who ranked second in the Eastern League with 85 strikeouts, to a shoulder injury . . . Just when lefthander Jon Lester, who signed for $1 million as the team's top pick in 2002, returned from a brief bout of elbow tendinitis, he was struck by a line drive on his pitching forearm by the second batter he faced in his first game back with Sarasota, and needed to be removed from the game. But Ramirez returned to Sarasota without incident after recovering from a sprained wrist . . . Augusta outfielder Brandon Moss, who is tearing up the South Atlantic League, was named MVP of the league's all-star game. He collected two hits and the go-ahead RBI. Augusta righthander Jarrett Gardner pitched two scoreless innings in the game . . . Lowell first baseman Logan Sorensen, a 19th-round pick this year out of Wichita State, has hit .303 with eight RBIs in his first eight games, and righthander Anibal Sanchez leads the league with a 1.13 ERA after his first three starts . . . Third baseman Christian Lara led the Gulf Coast League for Boston's rookie team with a .444 batting average and .704 slugging percentage through six games. The 19-year-old Venezuelan last year was the organization's minor league player of the year in the Dominican Summer League.
