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The Oceania Baseball Association had three guys added on their first ballot for the 2024 Hall of Fame class. SP Flynn Murphy (99.3%) and LF Jonathon Reilly (97.0%) were absolute slam dunk choices, while RF/1B/DH Kevin Coan also made it firmly with 80.1%. The best returner was 3B Ueli Nakanelua at 58.1% in his second ballot. Also above 50% were CL Nolan Gilmoon with 51.4% for his sixth ballot and SP Julian Albright at 50.3% on his second go. No players were dropped from the ballot after ten failed tries.



Flynn Murphy – Starting Pitcher – Auckland Avengers – 99.3% First Ballot

Flynn Murphy was a 6’4’’, 205 pound left-handed pitcher from Adelaide, Australia. Murphy was known for having impressive stuff along with above average control and movement. His velocity peaked in the 97-99 mph range with a cutter, but his deadliest pitch was his changeup. Murphy also had a slider, curveball, and circle change in the arsenal.

Compared to most OBA aces, Murphy’s stamina was average in terms of going deep in games. His durability was outstanding though for the four-man rotation OBA, pitching 280+ innings in all 13 of his seasons. Murphy was great at holding runners, but below average defensively otherwise. He was a bit dumb away from the game, but quite effective in his time.

Murphy earned plenty of attention even coming out of high school, getting picked 11^th by Melbourne in the 2002 OBA Draft. He declined the Mets offer though and went to junior college instead. Murphy’s stock rose and in the 2005 draft, he went second overall to Vanuatu. He was the first-ever pick for the expansion Wizards, who started play in 2006. They gave him a three-year, $6,510,000 big league deal right off the bat.

He was a full-time starter right away and was excellent by his second season with 8.2 WAR in 2007 and 9.9 WAR in 2008. Vanuatu was awful though to start their OBA tenure and wasn’t confident Murphy would commit long-term. They decided to trade him before the 2009 campaign to Auckland for three prospects and a draft pick. In three years with the Wizards, Murphy had a 46-48 record, 2.92 ERA, 883.1 innings, 1037 strikeouts, 166 walks, 117 ERA+, and 23.1 WAR.

Murphy finished second in Pitcher of the Year voting in both 2009 and 2010, leading both years in wins and leading with 9.8 WAR in 2010. After the 2009 season, the Avengers gave Murphy a four-year, $21,080,000 extension. Auckland was competitive in the 2000s, but no one stood a chance against Melbourne’s historic dynasty in the Australasia League. The Avengers fell to 80-82 in 2011, ending a six-year stretch of winning seasons.

Auckland then fell hard off a cliff with three straight 100+ loss seasons from 2012-14, including a horrendous 47-115 in 2013. Murphy still was solid during this stretch, but was definitely ready to move on after the 2013 campaign. He entered free agency at age 31 and signed a five-year $48,500,000 deal with Tahiti. It was not his longest tenure and he ended up inducted in Auckland red and gold. However, Murphy’s most dominant and impactful stint certainly was his run for the Tropics.

Murphy debuted with his lone ERA title (2.43) and Pacific League bests in wins (24-9), WHIP (0.90), and WAR (10.9), earning Pitcher of the Year. Tahiti returned to the Pacific League throne, but lost to Christchurch in the Oceania Championship. Murphy struggled to a 6.94 ERA in his two finals starts, but fared much better in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 2.87 ERA over 31.1 innings. The Tropics finished at 9-10 in the BGC.

In 2015, Murphy had his career bests in wins (27-5), ERA (2.17), and WHIP (0.82) but was second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Tahiti repeated as PL champ and denied Christchurch’s three-peat bid, winning the Oceania Championship in a 4-3 classic. Murphy had a stellar postseason, going 3-0 in his starts with a 1.07 ERA over 25.1 innings with 28 strikeouts. That earned him finals MVP and as of 2037 is the fourth-most WAR by a pitcher in OBA playoff history. Murphy’s dominance didn’t carry into the 2015 Baseball Grand Championship with a 4.71 ERA over 28.2 innings with Tahiti finishing 10-9.

That marked the end of Tahiti’s time atop the standings, but Murphy had career bests in WAR (11.3) and strikeouts (403) in 2016, finishing third in Pitcher of the Year voting. His velocity and strikeout rate dropped noticeably in 2017, although he still had a 5.2 WAR effort. The Tropics figured a rebuild was coming and bought out the final year of Murphy’s contract, sending him to free agency at age 35.

In four years for the Tropics, Murphy had an 89-37 record, 2.56 ERA, 1239.2 innings, 1438 strikeouts, 180 walks, 138 ERA+, and 38.0 WAR. He’s generally remembered by most fans in the Tropics’ teal and orange despite the run’s briefness. Murphy would return to Auckland though for 2018 on a three-year, $27 million deal.

The Avengers had slowly rebuilt while Murphy was gone and finished 92-70 in 2018, their first winning season since 2010. His velocity dropped more though and he had career lows across the board with a 3.65 ERA, 165 strikeouts, and 2.3 WAR. Murphy retired that winter shortly after his 36^th birthday. Between the Auckland runs, he had a 107-72 record, 3.01 ERA, 1751.2 innings, 1833 strikeouts, 374 walks, 127 ERA+, and 39.0 WAR.

Murphy finished with a 242-157 record, 2.84 ERA, 3874.2 innings, 4308 strikeouts, 720 walks, 128 ERA+, and 100.1 WAR. As of 2037, Murphy ranks 12^th in wins, 12^th in innings, 12^th in strikeouts, and 7^th in WAR among pitchers. Among those with 1000+ innings, Murphy’s 1.01 WHIP is 79^th.

He almost ended up under-appreciated in his time between playing on some bad teams early on, not staying in one place very long, and playing adjacent to the annual dominance of Akira Brady. Murphy’s resume though firmly puts him in the conversation as a top ten starting pitcher in OBA history. At 99.3%, he headlined an impressive three-player 2024 Hall of Fame class for the Oceania Baseball Association.