John Ryan Murphy

Arizona rotated three catchers throughout last season, with Murphy, Jeff Mathis and Alex Avila all starting between 44 and 61 games. Murphy's .202 batting average, .375 slugging percentage and nine homers all led the group. After spending parts of six seasons in the big leagues, Murphy has now compiled 604 plate appearances and a .224/.267/.351 slash line with 14 homers. That's acceptable for a backup catcher given the low offensive bar at the position, but it makes for an unexciting fantasy option even if the Diamondbacks decide to give him a larger role this year (something his performances certainly haven't warranted). Murphy did at least grade out well as a pitch framer, which could lead to more starts, but it would take both increased playing time and a performance improvement for him to gain fantasy relevance.

Murphy was acquired by Arizona in a July deal with Minnesota, and he didn't get a look with the big club until rosters expanded in September. His OPS at Triple-A jumped nearly 100 points with the move into the Pacific Coast League, but a .724 OPS is still nothing to write home about from a 26-year-old at that level. Despite being a second-round pick of the Yankees in 2009, Murphy has been unable to post an OPS of .800 or better at any stop above High-A. He may get an opportunity to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster in spring training, but the D-backs may be willing to expose him to waivers in order to send him back to Triple-A Reno as their No. 3 catcher. Jeff Mathis has one year remaining on his contract, and the team may want to find a more established option to serve as the starter behind the plate following the departure of Chris Iannetta to Colorado.

On the heels of a .277/.327/.406 showing in 67 games with the Yankees in 2015, Murphy had some buzz as a sleeper at the catcher position coming into 2016 after the Twins acquired him to push Kurt Suzuki for the starting job. It did not materialize, however, he got off to a dismal 3-for-40 start and was quickly demoted to Triple-A Rochester. He didn't fare much better in the minors as he hit just three home runs with a .609 OPS. Murphy then had just a .594 OPS in a September callup, culminating a lost season. Murphy showed some power in 2014, so he could still offer upside as a backup, but his future with the Twins is uncertain and he may just provide depth at Triple-A. The team's signing of Jason Castro in free agency makes a backup role Murphy's short-term ceiling.

Murphy was traded to Minnesota in the offseason for Aaron Hicks and will compete with Kurt Suzuki to be the starting catcher for the Twins. The 24-year-old provided solid offense last season in a limited role for the Yankees, slashing .277/.327/.406 with three homers and was a capable backup for Brian McCann behind the plate. The righty saw a lot of starts against left-handed pitching but was actually better against righties last season, posting a .289/.341/.355 line in 86 plate appearances. If he doesn't win the starting job outright, he could split time with the fellow right-handed hitting Suzuki as a result. It may not be long before Murphy gets the bulk of playing time as the Twins likely view him as their catcher of the future.

Called upon to fill the backup role after Francisco Cervelli went down with a hamstring injury in mid-April, Murphy hit .286/.308/.365 with one homer in 65 plate appearances before heading back down upon Cervelli's return in June. During his time with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2014, Murphy slashed just .246/.292/.397 with six homers, 28 RBI and 13:42 BB:K in 51 games (196 PA), and while certainly not great, the Yankees' decision to trade Cervelli to Pittsburgh in the offseason speaks to the confidence they have in their catching depth. Brian McCann still has four years remaining on his contract and prospect Gary Sanchez is likely the long-term future at the position, but the team also has Murphy and Austin Romine to fall back on. Murphy seems like the favorite for the backup job in 2015 over Romine, but neither player would have much fantasy utility if McCann got hurt.

Murphy had a decent year across Double-A and Triple-A in 2013, hitting .269 with 12 homers and a .773 OPS. Murphy has a pretty good eye at the plate, and seems much more likely to stick behind that plate than fellow prospect Gary Sanchez. The addition of Brian McCann is free agency has left the Yankees with a very crowded situation at the position, which does not bode well for Murphy's chances of sticking around in New York even after he's deemed ready to see time at the big league level in the next season or two.