Sticking with the Fish a no-brainer for Murphy

Max Murphy will continue to chase records with the Winnipeg Goldeyes.

It was announced Wednesday that the 33-year-old outfielder will return to the Fish for a sixth season this upcoming summer.

This past year, Murphy belted his 93rd career home run in a Goldeyes uniform on June 11 against the Chicago Dogs to pass arguably the greatest player in American Association history Reggie Abercrombie to become the new franchise leader.

Murphy finished the season with 14 more homers to further extend his lead in the record books.

The Robbinsdale, Minn., product — who played three seasons with the St. Paul Saints before arriving in Winnipeg in 2021 — currently ranks fourth all-time in league home runs with 131 (Sioux Falls Canaries slugger Jabari Henry sits first at 163) and second in RBIs with 525, trailing only Abercrombie’s 606.

Abercrombie batted in 393 of those for Winnipeg, which is just six more than what Murphy has with the club.

“I think the all-time home run leader is the one that means the most to me. When I was a kid, I literally only knew one stat and that was home runs,” Murphy told the Free Press on Wednesday.

“I didn’t know average, I didn’t know on-base percentage, I didn’t know RBIs, I just knew how many home runs you hit every year — and that’s still an important thing to me… Now being older, RBIs are more important to me per season so it’s cool to get up there on that list, too.”

Murphy, who met his fiancée in Winnipeg and now lives here year-round, said it was a no-brainer to stick with the Goldeyes. The 2022 American Association Player of the Year was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the ninth round in 2014 before reaching the Triple-A level with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019.

He’s also played 56 career games in Mexico.

“It wasn’t much of a decision. I’m not really going to go anywhere else, and I still got more left in the tank, so I decided to sign for another season,” said Murphy, who hit .277 with 15 dingers and 62 RBIs in 2025.

“It wasn’t much of a decision. I’m not really going to go anywhere else, and I still got more left in the tank, so I decided to sign for another season.”

“I just like playing here. We have one of the better setups as far as teams in the league. I’m sure a lot of fans haven’t been to most of the other places. Some are pretty good, and some are not so good. So, obviously, there’s nowhere else in the league that I want to go. As far as other leagues, this is the best indy ball one… And Mexico is different. Not that it’s bad, but it’s just not my cup of tea.”

Murphy has already built a Hall of Fame resumé, but one thing is missing: a championship ring. He came close in 2024 when the Fish were swept in the final by the Kane County Cougars.

“I really want a championship with the Goldeyes. A couple years ago, it was tough, it stung,” said Murphy.

“Obviously, getting to the championship alone is hard enough, so when you get the chance to actually play in it, you’ve got to capitalize.”

The Goldeyes took a massive step back in their latest campaign by finishing 41-58 in the 12-team circuit. It’s the second-worst record in the franchise’s 32-year history.

“It was kind of a fluke, honestly. I would say we could play that season again with the exact same team and we could have been one of the top teams in the league,” said Murphy.

“I’ve played on some bad teams before. Last year’s team wasn’t a bad team, we just didn’t play well. I’m not too worried about things based on what happened last year.”

It also doesn’t sound like Murphy plans to slow down any time soon.

“I love playing and it gives me the lifestyle that I want right now. I get to play baseball all summer and then I’m able to take off the fall which is really what I want because I want time to bowhunt,” said Murphy, who crosses the border to Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri for his hunting adventures.

“And every single player that’s a close friend that retires and works a normal job, they say, ‘Play as long as you can.’”

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