Questions continue to swirl about whether Kyler Murray will pay back his signing bonus with the Oakland A’s and pursue a career in the NFL, and it sounds as though even some Major League Baseball scouts believe he might be better off choosing football.
Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports spoke with several NFL and MLB scouts about Murray, and some of the baseball talent evaluators questioned if Murray is committed enough to work his way through the minor leagues.
“I have serious doubts he loves baseball enough to grind it out in the minors,” one baseball scout told Thamel. “I just think Kyler is pretty immature mentally and I’m not sure he can handle the real baseball world given that he’s raw and famous.”
The theory makes some sense, as the majority of players in MLB farm systems are looking to make a name for themselves. Murray is already bonafide superstar who has quarterbacked his team to the College Football Playoff, so he may not have the same mentality as other minor leaguers.
Another scout told Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports that Murray is behind with his baseball development because of his time spent playing football.
“I love him. He can be a star,” the scout said. “Plus speed, good raw power, legitimate center fielder. But he’s so far behind the curve because of football, it’s going to take longer for him to develop. And I really wonder if the football bug is too strong for him to say no.”
Murray’s baseball agent, Scott Boras, has continued to insist that Murray will report to the A’s for spring training in February. For whatever reason, Murray refuses to close the door on entering the NFL Draft. With Oregon’s Justin Herbert remaining in school for his senior season, there’s an even better chance that Murray would be a first-round pick. That means the amount of money he would make up front in the NFL could actually be closer to what he’d make with the A’s, and his path to making the big bucks may be even easier in football.
