Ten years ago, BJ Murray and Xavier Edwards made up the left side of the infield on Trinity Christian Academy's first state championship team.
Today, they're both major leaguers.
Murray, who played third base for the Warriors, earned a call-up from the Chicago Cubs
on Aug. 31. Pete Crow-Armstrong, the front-runner for National League MVP, greeted Murray and gave him a tour of the Wrigley Field clubhouse.The next night, Murray made his MLB debut at age 26, going 1-for-4 as the starting DH in a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
It was the culmination of a long journey that began in the Bahamas, where he grew up, continued at Trinity Christian and Florida Atlantic University, and concluded with a five-year climb through the Cubs' minor-league system.
"I put in a lot of work to get here," Murray told Marquee Sports Network. "Just working every day and trusting in God's plan for my life."
As luck would have it, Murray's first MLB road trip was to Miami, where the Cubs faced the Marlins over the weekend. That gave him a chance to reunite with Edwards, now the Marlins' second baseman, and Miguel Cuello, his former coach at Trinity.
With plenty of family and friends in the stands, Murray sat out the first two games, then made a brief appearance in the series finale on Sept. 6, playing an inning at first base and flying out to lead off the ninth in a 10-3 loss to the Marlins.
Cuello, who now coaches at Atlantic Christian, was thrilled to meet with his former stars before the series opener.
"All of a sudden, I'm looking at the schedule and I saw (Murray) was coming here," Cuello said. "I thought, 'You've got to be kidding me.' It was surreal. It was priceless."
Murray was the youngest of three brothers to play for Trinity over an 11-year span. (The middle brother, Byron, spent time in the Giants organization.) After Murray and Edwards played on the Class 2A championship team in 2016, Edwards transferred to North Broward Prep, but Murray stayed at Trinity and won another title in 2017.
"Switch hitter, power from both sides, great glove," Cuello recalled.
Murray earned a scholarship to FAU, where he played part-time as a freshman and saw his sophomore year cut short by COVID-19. In 2021, he had a breakout season, earning All-Conference USA second-team honors after hitting .317 with a team-leading 14 home runs and 52 RBIs.
By that time, Murray was on MLB scouts' radar, and the Cubs drafted him in the 15th round. That began his circuitous route though the minors, including a promotion in 2024 to Triple-A Iowa, where he struggled, and a demotion in 2025 to Double-A Knoxville. As a native of the Bahamas, he also played for Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic in 2023 and 2026.
This season, things finally fell into place for Murray. He was one of the most productive players at Iowa (.294, 16 home runs, 68 RBIs), so when MLB teams were allowed to expand their rosters, the Cubs came calling.
“BJ was a pretty logical choice for us,” manager Craig Counsell said. “BJ’s put himself in the conversation, maybe this whole month, really, when considering if we wanted to bring up another bat at some point. He’s had a consistent, wonderful season at Triple-A and has earned a chance.”
Murray said he learned of the promotion in a late-night call from his Triple-A manager and immediately shared the news with his parents.
"You would have thought my dad was getting his debut, he was so excited," Murray said.
For now, he accepts his role as a utility player who is unlikely to see much action in the middle of a playoff race.
"I'm just here to enjoy this experience and soak in all the information I can and make the most out of the opportunities that I get," Murray said.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Former Trinity Christian star BJ Murray reaches MLB with Cubs
