Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | KC | RHP | 27 | 40 |
Grades Update: May 2021
| OFP | Role | FB | CB | CH | Ctr/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 40 | 45 | 55 | 45 | 45/40 |
May 2021 Report
Evaluator: Anthony Franco
Age: 22 yr
Height: 6-8
Weight: 190 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2019 Round 7
RuleV: 2022
Physical Description: Listed at 6-8, 205. Tall and lanky right-hander with long, thin legs. Even at 22 years old, still looks to have a little more room for physical development in the shoulders.
Delivery & Mechanics: Controlled, fairly graceful delivery for a pitcher this size. Throws from 3/4 arm slot with a little bit of a cross-body action. Generates slightly above-average extension.
Fastball: Averaged 90.5 MPH, topping out at 95, during his final season at UVA. Low-spin sinker with downhill plane should play as a quality ground-ball offering. Some reports on Royals' blogs of velocity uptick at the alternate training site, but it remains to be seen how/if that'll translate to game action in 2021. Grade: 45
Curveball: High-70's curveball has good bite and two-plane break. Plays a little more horizontally than the typical curve but has enough length and action to miss bats. Grade: 55
Changeup: About 7-8 MPH slower than the fastball. Has very similar movement profile as the sinker and relies on velocity gap to keep hitters' timing off. Grade: 45
Control and Command: Struggled a bit with walks over the course of his college career (career 9.8%), although he did throw more strikes in a limited sample at rookie ball after the 2019 draft. Control can be an issue for pitchers this tall, although the fact that Murdock is still growing into his body could portend some late command development. With size, repertoire and a bit of cross-body delivery, most likely future is in relief. Control: 45 | Command: 40
Overall: Murdock's an interesting 7th-round flyer with some late-blooming potential because of his size. He has a good breaking ball and showed some promise with the changeup, although he'll need to continue to fill out and throw harder if he's to make an impact at the big league level. (There's some buzz Murdock already has, with a few reports of an uptick in velocity at the Royals' alternate training site, although it's worth reserving judgment until he gets back on a minor-league mound in front of opposing scouts). For now, he looks like an up/down reliever with a chance at a breakout if he's throwing harder.
OFP: 40
Role: 40 - Low Leverage or Long Reliever
Risk: High
