Just when you thought all the conceivable Daniel Murphy stories had been covered…here comes another.
Not long after his early days dreaming of being an “Insurance Person” and well before his unexpected (and probably unwanted) support from the Westboro Baptist Church, the New York Mets second baseman was sharing a clubhouse with a Gronkowski.
Sure, it was Gordie Gronkowski Jr. and not All-Pro tight end Rob, but, hey…close enough, right?
Murphy and Gronkowski spent three years as teammates at Jacksonville University, batting third and fourth for the Dolphins. Both would end up getting drafted following equally spectacular 2006 seasons for the pair, with Murphy hitting .398 and .358 for Gronkowski.
Gronkowski would get selected by Los Angeles in the 49th round. He’d spend less than three seasons in the Angels organization, playing in 135 games, hitting .287 with ten home runs. The 6’7” slugger would find power after moving on to unaffiliated baseball, playing parts of four more seasons, hitting .306 with 40 home runs in 193 games.
Gronkowski would quit baseball completely in 2011 to help run the family’s fitness company.
Murphy fared a touch better as a baseball player. The second baseman would drafted in the 13th round by the New York Mets and, well, the rest is history.
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