'Big-power potential' with Fresno State's Gray at No. 73
The Pirates selected Fresno State third baseman Triston 'Murf' Gray with the 73rd overall pick and see "big-power potential" in the back-to-back Mountain West tournament MVP
At 6-4, 220 pounds, Gray hit 18 home runs and 25 doubles this past season while slashing .320/.392/.632. He hits from the right side and was the 2023 Mountain West freshman of the year when he hit eight home runs and drove in 38 runs while hitting for a .297 batting average over 51 games. He was ranked 107th by Baseball America and 141st by MLB Pipeline. Justin Horowitz, the Pirates' director of amateur scouting, said Gray has untapped potential.
"He hits the ball really, really hard. Crushes balls. It’s just about leveraging his impact a little bit deeper in games and optimizing his contact points, getting to better ball flight," Horowitz said. "That’s how we can really tap into some big-power potential. Murf is a super strong kid, a super hard-working kid. We are really excited about his offensive upside."
Despite having a run grade of 30 and a field grade of 45, Horowitz said Gray is a third baseman. He was a 2025 American Baseball Coaches Association Gold Glove finalist after committing four errors and producing a .971 fielding percentage.
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THE ASYLUM
Greg Macafee
1:59 am - 07.14.2025DOWNTOWN'Big-power potential' with Fresno State's Gray at No. 73
The Pirates selected Fresno State third baseman Triston 'Murf' Gray with the 73rd overall pick and see "big-power potential" in the back-to-back Mountain West tournament MVP
At 6-4, 220 pounds, Gray hit 18 home runs and 25 doubles this past season while slashing .320/.392/.632. He hits from the right side and was the 2023 Mountain West freshman of the year when he hit eight home runs and drove in 38 runs while hitting for a .297 batting average over 51 games. He was ranked 107th by Baseball America and 141st by MLB Pipeline. Justin Horowitz, the Pirates' director of amateur scouting, said Gray has untapped potential.
"He hits the ball really, really hard. Crushes balls. It’s just about leveraging his impact a little bit deeper in games and optimizing his contact points, getting to better ball flight," Horowitz said. "That’s how we can really tap into some big-power potential. Murf is a super strong kid, a super hard-working kid. We are really excited about his offensive upside."
Despite having a run grade of 30 and a field grade of 45, Horowitz said Gray is a third baseman. He was a 2025 American Baseball Coaches Association Gold Glove finalist after committing four errors and producing a .971 fielding percentage.
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