Current Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback Kyler Murray has expressed his desire to get back on the baseball diamond soon. Could it be for the Oakland A’s?
Kyler Murray was drafted as an outfielder by the Oakland A’s with their first round selection in the 2018 MLB Draft.
You read that right. The same Kyler Murray who just made the throw of the year in the NFL with his game-winning, hail-mary touchdown pass to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills is now pondering a revival of his baseball career.
Once again, this is the same Kyler Murray who has entered the NFL MVP conversation 10 weeks into the league’s regular season, thinking about bringing his talents back to the diamond. Feast your eyes on this, A’s fans.
If Kyler Murray has his way, he could be playing home games at the Coliseum soon.
Speaking to Tiki Barber and Brandon Tierney of CBS Sports Radio’s “Tiki and Tierney”, on Monday, Murray clarified his stance on the rumors:
"“I know where I’m supposed to be at. If I would have chose baseball, I think I would be missing the hell out of football a lot more. For me, I wish I could do both.”"
Obviously, Murray values his football career. Given the success he has achieved since entering the NFL in 2019, it’s no wonder Murray feels comfortable in Arizona.
However, the possibility of the former Oklahoma Sooner returning to baseball has to be an intriguing development for the Athletics organization.
A return to baseball could be in Kyler Murray's future 👀 pic.twitter.com/xoYM4W2dB8
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) November 18, 2020
Some fans may recall that Murray signed a contract with the A’s just after he was selected as the ninth overall pick by the team in 2018. The pact included a $4.66 million signing bonus, indicating Oakland believed the former Heisman winner would legitimately consider pursuing baseball professionally, and for good reason.
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Murray was no slouch as a college baseball player. In his final season at Oklahoma in 2018 playing center field, the former Sooner hit .296 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs, stealing 10 bases in the process.
With those stats in mind, it’s easy to see why the A’s invested so much into Murray’s baseball prospects. His pure athleticism is a tremendous asset to any team.
Whether Murray actually makes good on his recent comments remains to be seen. After all, his situation is different than other NFL stars who tried their luck at baseball such as Deion Sanders or Bo Jackson.
Neither of those players had the responsibility of being a franchise quarterback for their respective franchises the way Kyler Murray does for the Arizona Cardinals.
Should Kyler Murray look to seriously reconsider his baseball path, though, the Oakland A’s would be wise to give him a call.