How have Braves catchers fared after Sean Murphy’s injury?
Travis d’Arnaud and Chadwick Tromp have filled in admirably for Atlanta after losing one of the game’s best catchers on Opening Day.
It was an inauspicious start for the Atlanta Braves in the 2024 regular season when the team lost starting catcher – and 2023 All-Star – Sean Murphy to an oblique injury on Opening Day. As the team heads towards late May, Murphy has yet to return to the big-league club, and the team has not announced any expectations for his return.
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For many teams, the loss of a high-end starting catcher would be an impediment to league average production at a position that is often lauded more for a player’s ability to provided defensive and off-the-team prowess as their ability to be productive in the batter’s box.
Fortunately for Atlanta, the club had Travis d’Arnaud, a 2022 All-Star, in position to resume the starting duties that the 35-year-old had ceded to Murphy. Not only is the well-respected d’Arnaud handling a pitching staff that has exceeded expectations this season, but his offensive production has rebounded to a level similar to his 2022 and 2020 seasons.
Sliding up a spot on the depth chart has been Chadwick Tromp. In his third season with the Braves organization, Tromp has seen his most extensive MLB playing time since his rookie year with the San Fransisco Giants in 2020. In Tromp’s 14 games with the Braves this season, he has provided a paltry amount of offensive but has been above average defensively – a mix that is likely enough to keep him rostered with Atlanta until Murphy returns.
After their May 14, 2024, victory over the Chicago Cubs, the Braves had a record of 26-13, two games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. With the team’s offense declining from of a record-setting 2023, the 2024 incarnation of the team has found success with pitching a defense while the organization and its fans wait and hope for the offensive to elevate to a level more comparable to last season.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the performance of d’Arnaud and Tromp behind the plate in the absence of one of the games top 10 all-around catchers in Murphy. It is worth mentioning that the man for whom Murphy was ostensibly traded for in William Contreras has developed into one of the top catchers in the game, with the former Brave already generating 2.3 fWAR for the Milwaukee Brewers while producing a fantastic 171 wRC+ with a defensive output that, while not as strong as his leap forward in 2023, is neutral at worst.
