Tireball.com

The Baltimore Sun today announced the first of what figures to be many underwhelming signings for the Baltimore Orioles this off season.

The team has added 25 year-old utility player Donnie Murphy. Murphy who has spent parts of four seasons in the big leagues split between the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland A’s has a career line of .191/.265/.342 in 127 career games.

Murphy’s agent, Jim Kuzmich, said today that Murphy agreed with the Orioles on a minor league deal with a major league invite.

This isn’t the same Donnie Murphy that was once a top prospect of the Kansas City Royals. Well it is but it isn’t. Sometime after scorching the Texas League for a .313/.362/.523 line in 2005 things fell apart for Murphy.

After repeating Double-A in 2006 he was sent to Oakland for cash considerations. Considering what Murphy did at the major league level it might of been the Royals paying the A’s for this one.

To be fair to Murphy he very well could be a nice utility player for the Orioles. Murphy can play a respectable second, short and third base and despite some struggle making contact has accounted for 48 home runs over the last five seasons in the minor leagues, despite topping 350 at-bats just twice in that time span.

“Donnie is looking for a place to play much more consistently than he was in Oakland,” said Kuzmich. “You’re talking about a kid that came up playing in the Kansas City organization every day. The Orioles expressed that should Donnie’s bat develop into what we think it could develop into on the major league level, they see him having a more-defined role.”

With all things being said the success of the Orioles in 2009 will have very little to do with Murphy. If he makes the team he will be nothing more then a utility man barring injuries. If he doesn’t crack the roster then this could be the last we write about him.

In parts of four major league seasons, Murphy, who plays second base, shortstop and third base, has a career .195 average with 10 homers and 45 RBIs.