Kyler Murray

Kyler Cole Murray

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 190 lb.
• School Texas A&M University, University of Oklahoma
• High School Allen (TX) High School

• Born August 7, 1997 in Bedford, TX USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Kyler Murray was better known as a football player when he was selected by the Oakland Athletics with the 9th pick of the 2018 amateur draft. He was considered a top-end baseball talent, but most teams had discounted the possibility of his ever playing the sport professionally, as he was slated to become the starting quarterback for the University of Oklahoma the next fall after backing up Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield in 2017. However, he made a surprise announcement shortly before the draft that he would give up football after the fall season in order to concentrate on baseball in the future. That raised his draft stock from being a mere flyer to a serious prospect, but the A's still surprised most observers by taking him so high, as not everyone was convinced he was truly bent on giving up football, after being one of the top players in the country since his high school days. However, within a couple of days of drafting him, the A's announced that the two sides had agreed on contract demands. The signing included a signing bonus of $5 million.

Kyler had opted out of the 2015 amateur draft, coming out of high school, as he had already committed to play college football. He raised his stock as a baseball player with a successful stint in the Cape Cod League in 2017, and hit .296 with 10 homers in 51 games for Oklahoma. A's scouting director Eric Kubota explained his team's decision to draft him thus: "I think, as a staff, we just felt like Kyler was a unique talent, and it's something that you come across rarely in what we do. The risk of the football was, in our opinion, outweighed by the upside on the baseball field." He did not just go through the motions during his final season as a quarterback, as he led Oklahoma to a 12-1 record and a win in the Big 12 Conference championship game over the University of Texas. In that game, he threw for 379 yards and 3 touchdowns in a truly masterful performance. As a result, he was named one of three finalists for the Heisman Trophy and then succeeded Baker Mayfield as the second straight Heisman winner from Oklahoma when he was voted the winner in a close race on December 8th. Following the win, agent Scott Boras hinted that Murray may re-consider his commitment to baseball, now that his value as a football player was sky-high (although others pointed out that at 5' 10", he would be significantly undersized as an NFL quarterback). Indeed, on January 9, 2019, news leaked that Murray was about to declare for the NFL Draft, with the deadline for doing so approaching quickly. At the same time, the A's asked to meet with him in order to discourage him from doing so, although it was not clear what they could offer him as an incentive. This last-ditch effort was apparently unsuccessful as on January 14th, Murray announced officially that he had declared for the draft, beating the deadline for doing so which was at midnight Eastern Time that day.

While it was clear that Murray would stand to make a lot more money in the short run if drafted in the first round by an NFL team, even though this would mean he would have to reimburse the A's his signing bonus money. However, other issues such as relative career length and injury risk also needed to be taken into account by Murray and his advisers. Two players who had been through this before, Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, both stated that Murray should not underestimate the risk of injury associated with pro football. However, on February 11th, Murray made a public statement announcing that he was giving up baseball to concentrate full-time on becoming an NFL quarterback. The choice paid off immediately as on April 25th, he was chosen first overall in the NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. After a decent rookie season, he emerged as one of the NFL's top stars in 2020 with his rare combination of running and passing prowess. And yet, he explained that he still missed baseball and had not completely given up on the idea of returning to the sport at some point.

Murray is the nephew of former major league OF (and fellow first-rounder) Calvin Murray. His father Kevin Murray was a star quarterback at Texas A&M University, which Kyler attended briefly before transferring to Oklahoma after his freshman season. His father briefly played minor league baseball before deciding to return to college and concentrate on football full-time.

Further Reading

• Jane Lee: "A's take two-sport star Kyler Murray 9th overall: Loaded with tools, outfielder also plays football for Sooners", mlb.com, June 5, 2018. [1]
• Jane Lee: "Murray declares for NFL draft; MLB still possible: Time remains for A's prospect to change mind and pursue baseball career", mlb.com, January 14, 2019. [2]
• Bob Nightengale: "How do the A's feel about Kyler Murray now that he has spurned them?", USA Today, February 11, 2019. [3]
• A.J. Perez: "The Kyler Murray call: Should Heisman Trophy winner choose MLB or NFL?", USA Today, January 16. 2019. [4]
• Manny Randhawa: "Source: A's, Murray nearing $5 million bonus", mlb.com, June 6, 2018. [5]
• Manny Randhawa: "Murray says he hasn't ruled out football career: Heisman Trophy winner signed $4.6 million contract with A's", mlb.com, December 27, 2018. [6]
• Dan Wolken: "Opinion: Kyler Murray will 100% play football if taken in first round of NFL draft", USA Today, January 14, 2019. [7]

Related Sites

• University of Oklahoma baseball bio
• University of Oklahoma football bio