Former Centerville, Wright State catcher named All-Star starter

The starters were voted in by the fans. In the last update by Major League Baseball on June 22, Murphy had 1,320,838 votes, which was almost 500,000 more than the second-place catcher, Will Smith, of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Murphy, 28, is hitting a career-best .289 in his first season with the Braves. He has 13 home runs and 44 RBIs, leading NL catchers in both categories, in 60 games. He’ll be a first-time All-Star.

Last season with the Oakland Athletics, Murphy hit .250 with 18 home runs and 66 RBIs in 148 games. The Braves acquired Murphy from the A’s in December in a three-team deal.

Murphy is a 2013 Centerville graduate who played three seasons at Wright State. He hit .287 with six home runs and 34 RBIs as a junior in 2016. The A’s drafted him in the third round that year.

Murphy made his big-league debut for the A’s on Sept. 4, 2019, and hit a home run in his second at-bat. He hit .245 with four home runs in 20 games that season. In the 60-game 2020 season, he appeared in 44 games and hit .233 with seven home runs and 14 RBIs. Then in 2021, he hit .216 with 17 home runs and 59 RBIs in 119 games. He won a Gold Glove award that season.

The complete All-Star rosters will be announced at 5:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPN.