Kansas City Royals Lose Right-Hander to A's in Rule 5 Draft

Jason Burke | Dec 11, 2024

Mar 1, 2021; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals Noah Murdock #83 poses during media day at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: MLB photos via Imagn Images / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Athletics used their first pick in the Rule 5 Draft to select 6-foot-8 right-hander Noah Murdock from the Triple-A roster of the Kansas City Royals.

Murdock, 26, was originally selected by the Royals in the seventh round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Virginia. The righty converted to relief in 2023 and has seen better results since the transition, posting ERAs of 2.22 and 3.76 in 2023 and 2024 in Double-A and Triple-A, while his walk rates have remained high.

He held a 14.7% walk rate in 2023, and a 15.8% in 2024, which is certainly not a rate that can continue if he hopes to stick around in the big leagues. That said, he also held a 25.5% strikeout rate in '23 and a 27.9% rate in '24, aided by three plus pitches.

In FanGraphs' prospect write-up, they mentioned that Murdock possesses a sinker with above average movement, which could be a key pitch for him if he makes it to Sacramento and keeps the pitch down in the zone.

Here is what they had to say about his other offerings. "He throws both a slider (81-85 mph) and a cutter (87-90 mph), which often share a similar short shape but come in at different velocities."

At first glance, Murdock appears to be the relief pitcher version of Joe Boyle, who struggles with command at times as well. The A's have a decent collection of arms in the 'pen already, but Murdock has some intriguing "stuff" that is definitely worth the flier pick in the Rule 5 Draft.

He also comes with extremely high ground ball rates, which sat at 62.1% across 38 1/3 innings in Triple-A last season. As regular readers of A's on SI will know, the Athletics have been targeting pitchers with high ground ball rates as they head to Sacramento to play in a more hitter-friendly ballpark than the Oakland Coliseum.

The front office is unsure of how Sutter Health Park will play, so loading up on ground ball pitchers appears to be their plan of attack so far this winter.