‘BJ’ Murray drafted by the Cubs

Yet another Bahamian is about to enter the minor leagues, but this time it’s through the Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft as opposed to through the MLB international signing period.

Junior Baseball League of Nassau (JBLN) product Bertram “BJ” Murray Jr. had a breakout third season for the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Owls in 2021, starting and playing in all 57 games for the team and finishing with a .317 batting average, 65 total hits, a team-leading 14 home runs, 52 RBIs (runs batted in) and 49 runs scored – all career highs. He led the Owls in a number of offensive categories and also ranked high in the conference.

Murray was taken with the 22nd pick in the 15th round, number 454 overall, by the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. The 21-year-old infielder is expected to be assigned to a minor league team in the coming weeks and could be on the field as early as this fall.

“We’re extremely happy and proud of what he has done,” said father Bertram Murray Sr. yesterday. “This was significant. A lot of hard work went into it, and to see him being rewarded, we’re very grateful for that. Our main goal for him was to complete his education and get an opportunity to play at the next level, so we’re very happy that this is the road he took to get there.”

The elder Murray said he’s been in contact with his son, and he’s looking forward to playing at the next level.

“He’s extremely excited and is looking forward to the road ahead,” said Murray Sr. “He’s thankful to have this opportunity. His dream is to play in the big show and he’s optimistic that if he continues to work hard, it will come to reality. As parents, his mom Michelle and I just wanted him to get a good education and let that open doors for him, so we’re very happy that he has taken this route.”

Murray joins a long list of Bahamians who were drafted into MLB – the latest being Chavez Fernander who was taken with the first pick in the 35th round (1,035th overall) by the Detroit Tigers in 2018. Older brother Byron Murray was one of three Bahamians taken in the 2014 MLB Draft, selected by the San Francisco Giants with the 13th pick in the 25th round (748th overall) on the third and final day of the draft.

Former minor league standouts Anfernee Seymour and Todd Isaacs Jr. were the other two Bahamians selected that year.

The elder Murray said they’re working with an advisor in determining the next step for “BJ”.

“Right now, we’re just enjoying it. There’s a lot of paper work to be done, so there’s no timeline as yet as to when he will get on the field. We just want him to get settled with whatever team he is assigned to and continue to trend upward,” said Murray Sr.

Murray Jr. is a switch-hitter and easily had his best season in college baseball this year. He had a solo home run in his final regular season game for the Owls, and helped them upset four-time national champions Miami, 3-0, on the road. It was just the second time in program history the Owls shut out Miami.

Murray hit a home run in each game of a road series against Conference USA (C-USA) regular season champions Charlotte, and nine of his 14 home runs came against C-USA foes, second-most among league hitters – leading to him achieving All-Conference USA Second Team honors this year.

Murray hit safely in nine of his last 10 regular season games for the Owls and finished the regular season with an impressive slash line of .316/.428/.601. Defensively, he had 43 putouts, 93 assists and 15 errors for a .901 fielding percentage during the regular season.

The Owls finished with a 32-25 overall win/loss record, 21-16 Conference USA, and ended the season with a 13-5 loss to Old Dominion in the 2021 Air Force Reserve Conference USA Championship in Ruston, Louisiana. Murray ended the season 1-for-3 with a run scored in that loss to Old Dominion.

On Tuesday, Murray became the 100th draft pick in program history.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/bj-murray-drafted-by-the-cubs/