Scouting grades 20–80
55Fastball
55Slider
40Changeup
40Control
Murdock put the entirety of the college baseball world on notice when he out-dueled UC Santa Barbara ace Jackson Flora in their Friday matchup in April. Murdock would finish with an astounding 17 (!!!) strikeouts across 8 innings pitched while giving up just 1 run, and walking none. Much needed for a guy who had a 6.81 ERA on the season headed into that game.
Murdock is up to 97 mph with his fastball and will live in the 93-96 mph range. It's a pitch with some cut/ride action coming from his higher arm slot. Murdock's best pitch is by far his mid 80's slider. It's a pitch with tight, sharp break, garnering plenty of chase when tunneled well of the fastball. At the time of writing, the pitch is generating a whiff rate north of 50% in 2026. It's a surefire plus or better breaking ball. Murdock can mix in a mid 80s changeup, but he sticks to his 1-2 punch normally.
There's some reliever risk here undoubtedly. Murdock hasn't shown prolonged success in a starting role so far in college, and he can at times be a bit of an efforty mover. Still, Murdock has a chance to be a day one pick if he keeps performing to expectations.
