A’s select right-handed pitcher Noah Murdock in Major League Rule 5 Draft
DALLAS, Tex. — The Athletics selected right-handed pitcher Noah Murdock from the Kansas City Royals organization in the first round of the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft, the club announced today. The A’s also selected right-handed pitcher Henry Gomez from the St. Louis Cardinals organization in the minor league portion.
Murdock was selected from the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers roster with the fifth overall pick of the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft. The 26-year-old went 1-0 with a 3.76 ERA in 30 relief appearances with the Storm Chasers this year. Originally selected by the Royals in the seventh round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Virginia, Murdock struck out 72 batters and walked 41 in 62.2 innings in 2024. Across five minor league seasons, he is 9-10 with a 4.74 ERA in 262 innings in 117 games, including 30 starts.
Gomez posted a 6-3 record with a 3.03 ERA in 39 relief appearances for Single-A Palm Beach during the 2024 season to go along with 44 strikeouts and 26 walks in 62.1 innings pitched. Overall, Gomez is 16-18 with a 4.11 ERA across five minor league seasons.
Additionally, infielder Cooper Bowman was selected from the A’s organization by Cincinnati in the first round of the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft. In the minor league portion, right-handed pitcher Gustavo Rodriguez was selected by Los Angeles-AL (first round), right-handed pitcher Franck De La Rosa was selected by Pittsburgh (first round), and infielder Jack Winkler was selected by Miami (second round).
Bowman was acquired by the A’s in 2022 in a trade with the Yankees. He batted .262 with 12 home runs and 70 RBI in 118 games across the 2024 season with Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas.
Rodriguez went 0-2 with a 4.32 ERA in 22 total relief appearances in 2024 with Single-A Palm Beach and High-A Peoria while a member with the Cardinals organization.
De La Rosa is 4-5 with a 5.93 ERA in 36 games with the DSL-A’s (2021), ACL A’s (2023) and Single-A Stockton (2023-24). He has 86 strikeouts and 46 walks in 68.1 career innings.
Winkler was originally selected by the A’s in the 10th round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft and batted .223 with eight home runs and 57 RBI in 127 games with Double-A Midland in 2024. Overall, he is a .236 career hitter with 19 home runs and 145 RBI in 328 games in four minor league seasons.