2025 has been a successful season overall for the White Sox farm system up to this point. Several of the organization’s top prospects are having strong campaigns that have led to promotions and even some MLB debuts. Chase Meidroth, Edgar Quero, Kyle Teel, and Grant Taylor are all examples of top prospects who have gotten an opportunity with the big league club because of their impressive showings in the minors.
For as much hype as some White Sox prospects have, others have gone under the radar despite having statistically impressive seasons. Sam Antonacci falls into that category on the hitting side, and the organization has his equivalent on the pitching side. It is time for people to learn Shane Murphy’s name.
Murphy’s Underdog Story
The 24-year-old, 6’5, 210-pound left-handed Murphy has always been an underdog. The White Sox selected him with the 431st overall pick in the 14th round in the 2022 draft out of Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Arizona, giving him a $125,000 signing bonus. That level of money is respectable for a 14th-rounder, but he still was not a household name, let alone a player projected to be a name to watch almost three years later.
Breakout 2025 Campaign
After a strong season with the High-A Winston-Salem Dash in 2024, Murphy has taken his game to a new level this year. In 49 innings across nine games with the Double-A Birmingham Barons this season, Murphy has pitched to a pristine 1.47 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 48.1% groundball%, and 7.7 K/9. He has also walked just five batters over those 49 innings.
All told, opposing batters are hitting just .191 against Murphy in 12 games between the High-A and Double-A levels this season. He also enters the day with a minuscule 3.7% BB% and an elite 6.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio over those 12 appearances. Murphy doesn’t blow hitters away with overpowering stuff, but his pinpoint control and groundball-heavy approach have made him nearly unhittable at Double-A.
Player Of The Week Honors
After being overlooked up to this point, people are finally starting to pay attention to Murphy’s impressive season. Just this morning, he was announced as a Southern League Player of the Week from June 9-15 after pitching 13 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts, allowing just four hits and one walk over that span.
Murphy’s Potential MLB ETA
Murphy has firmly put himself on the map as a name to watch in the White Sox farm system. His ascent could not have come at a better time for both the organization and him individually. The White Sox big league team has been desperate for innings all season, with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights offering little reinforcements. Murphy provides another option capable of starting games and eating innings.
The South Siders now have a full rotation at the MLB level thanks to the additions of Adrian Houser and Aaron Civale, but that stability likely won’t last for long. Those two veterans will undoubtedly head elsewhere before the July 31st deadline, and other pitchers on the team could also be on the move. It won’t be long before the big league club needs more arms. Murphy’s performance has put him in prime position to get an opportunity in Chicago later this year.
White Sox Prospect To Watch
Shane Murphy is older than fellow pitching prospects Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith and lacks the pedigree and pure strikeout stuff they have. He doesn’t even rank anywhere on MLB.com’s White Sox top prospects list. Still, the organization can no longer overlook him. He is dominating the Double-A level, and it feels like only a matter of time before he gets an opportunity in Triple-A. At the rate he’s going, he will be another White Sox prospect to make their MLB debut during the 2025 season.
