See below for photos…

As parents and coaches laughed and reflected in the IMG Baseball Academy office about the previous night, John Ryan “J.R.” Murphy quietly slipped out a door and walked onto a pristine Academy field.

Through an office window, one could see Murphy checking the mechanics of his swing and waiting to hit some balls in the batting cage. Despite being named the second-round pick of the New York Yankees less than 12 hours before, it was time for Murphy to work on his game, not bask in the glory.

“I don’t think it has hit me yet,” he said. “It was crazy last night because I didn’t get a call before it happened. We had an indication that they were interested, but we were still looking at every pick.”

For Murphy, a 6-foot, 180-pound right-handed catcher, the selection in the 2009 Major League Baseball first-year player draft represented a cap to an already remarkable season. His Pendleton School/IMG Baseball Academy team in Bradenton, Fla., went 29-1 and finished in the top 25 of several national polls.

After being on the fringe of scouts’ radar to start the season, Murphy’s eye-popping statistics against some of the top competition in Florida shot him up the draft boards.

He finished the year with a  .629 average, with 32 extra-base hits, 60 RBI, 54 runs scored, 12 stolen bases and only four strikeouts. The team played in four tournaments and won all four, with Murphy also collecting MVP at all four tournaments.

“I’ve been told that I remind people of Russell Martin, but I model my game after Pudge (Rodriguez),” Murphy said. “His intensity. His leadership. He hits and likes to go the other way with pitches. He’s not a huge guy. He knows how to work with pitchers. He’s respected.”

Murphy has yet to make a decision on whether he’ll join Yankees farm system or attend the University of Miami, as he’s still living the dream for the moment.

“If the deal works out, then being a New York Yankee couldn’t make me any happier,” he said. “They treat their players with respect. The players play the right way. If or when that day happens when I could play for them, it would be a dream come true.”