Yankees rookie catcher J.R. Murphy was ranked as one of the 20 top prospects of the Eastern League. He placed at No. 18 on the list and was the top rated catcher in the league, two spots ahead of Twins prospect Josmil Pinto. The top 20 was compiled of four Red Sox (Murphy placed ahead of Brandon Workman), three Pirates and three Twins. He ranked behind a lot of elite talent, like Xander Bogaerts, Miguel Sano, Noah Syndergaard, Jameson Taillon, and Anthony Rendon, to just name a few, so ranking at "only" No. 18 is still quite an accomplishment with the talent in that league.
Murphy hit .268/.352/.421 with six home runs and an 11.4% walk rate in 211 plate appearances as the top catching prospect in the league this year. He then moved up to Triple-A and didn't miss a beat, hitting .270/.342/.430 with six home runs and an 8.9% walk rate in another 257 plate appearances. After making his debut in September, Murphy has poised himself for a spot on the big league roster in 2014. If the catching situation doesn't change by spring training, he'll likely be competing with Chris Stewart, Austin Romine, and Francisco Cervelli.