Colton Murray (born April 22, 1990) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather d ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB) for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

. Murray signed with the team after being selected in the 13th round of the

2011 Major League Baseball draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the firs ...

Amateur career

Murray attended

Olathe East High School Olathe East High School is a public high school located in Olathe, Kansas, United States, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is one of five high schools in the Olathe USD 233 school district. Olathe East is a member of the Kansas State ...

Olathe, Kansas Olathe ( ) is the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the List_of_cities_in_Kansas#Highest_population_listing, fourth-most populous city in both the Kansas City metropolitan area and the state of Kansas, with a 2020 Unit ...

, where he lettered three years in baseball for coach John McDonald. He was a two-time All-State selection in 2007 and 2008, and was named Kansas Pitcher of the Year in 2007. As a senior, he went 5–1 with a 1.55 ERA, striking out 50 hitters in 31 innings. He also hit .481 with three home runs. Murray went on to play at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

, where as a freshman in 2009 he went 2–3 with an ERA of 3.23, and also striking out 39 batters in 39 innings pitched. In his sophomore year in 2010, he posted a record of 1–2 with an ERA of 4.83 in 27 appearances, recording 36 strikeouts and four saves, also earning Academic All-Big 12 honors. As a junior in 2011, he went 3–4 with an ERA of 3.79 and seven saves in 20 appearances, recording 33 strikeouts. Murray played for the

Pittsfield American Defenders The Mystic Schooners are a collegiate summer baseball team that operates in the Mystic, Connecticut region. The franchise is one of the two oldest franchises in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Originally known as the Eastern Tides, a ...

in summer 2009, posting a record of 1–1 and an ERA of 3.27 in 10 appearances, recording 16 strikeouts and only 3 walks as well. In summer 2010, he played for the

Brewster Whitecaps The Brewster Whitecaps are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brewster, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Whitecaps play their home games at Stony Brook ...

of the

Cape Cod League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thous ...

where he was named a league all-star and posted a record of 1–1 with an ERA of 0.49 and eight saves in 18 appearances. Named a Top 30 Prospect in the league by ESPN's Keith Law.

Career

Philadelphia Phillies

Murray was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 13th round of the

2011 Major League Baseball Draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the firs ...

. He was promoted to the major leagues on September 1, 2015. Murray split the 2017 season between the Double–A

Reading Fightin Phils The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Re ...

and Triple–A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in th ...

. In 41 total appearances, he accumulated a 4.58 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 3 saves in 53.0 innings of work. Murray elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2017.

Tampa Bay Rays

On December 14, 2017, Murray signed a minor league contract with the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

. He was released on March 28, 2018.

Miami Marlins

On April 2, 2018, Murray signed a minor league contract with the

Miami 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 fra ...

. He was assigned to Triple–A

New Orleans Baby Cakes The New Orleans Baby Cakes (formerly the New Orleans Zephyrs) were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They were located in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, ...

. Murray was released on June 4, 2018.

Long Island Ducks

On June 13, 2018, Murray signed with the

Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor-league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "part ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. He became a free agent following the 2018 season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Colton 1990 births Living people Sportspeople from Overland Park, Kansas Baseball players from Kansas Major League Baseball pitchers Philadelphia Phillies players Kansas Jayhawks baseball players Brewster Whitecaps players Williamsport Crosscutters players Lakewood BlueClaws players Clearwater Threshers players Reading Fightin Phils players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Scottsdale Scorpions players New Orleans Baby Cakes players Long Island Ducks players