Should Kyler Murray choose MLB or Oklahoma football?

As a two-sport athlete at a football-centric school, Kyler Murray has a tough choice coming very soon.

There’s no real way to replace 2017 Heisman Trophy winner and NFL No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield, but Kyler Murray is considered the front runner to do so for the Oklahoma Sooners this year. But the Texas A&M transfer also plays on the Oklahoma baseball team, and has become an MLB draft prospect.

The 2018 MLB draft starts in less than a month, on June 4. ESPN’s Keith Law ranks Murray as the 36th-best prospect in this year’s draft class, so he will be drafted and there’s some chance he’ll be a first-round pick. He switched to the center field in college, after being a highly regarded high school shortstop, so there’s some flexibility there that teams could see for the future.

Murray has had to split time during the spring between baseball and football, which has limited the ability to evaluate him as a baseball player along with his transfer. But he is hitting .288 with seven home runs, 36 RBI, 20 extra base hits, seven stolen bases and an .886 OPS for the Sooners this season, with what scouts classify as an above-average outfield arm.

Based on hypothetically being drafted No. 36 overall, Murray would get a slotted signing bonus of about $1.97 million. Even going a little later would make him a millionaire right away, and a six-figure signing bonus if he fell a little further in the draft would still be nothing to sneeze at.

Being the starting quarterback at Oklahoma obviously comes with spotlight, and potential accolades which can’t be easily replicated. But at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, Murray would not be seen as a top quarterback prospect by NFL scouts, and he could go undrafted quite easily. But he could play football professionally somewhere if those options are out there, like the CFL or the spring league that’s coming in 2019 if the NFL is a dead-end.

Next: 5 managers the Reds can hire to fix their mess

Murray has not yet made his looming decision between sports public, as pro possibilities get closer in each. But he will have to make a choice, if not this year than next year for sure. With far more certainty attached to his future in baseball, and far less risk of major injury, Murray’s decision should be obvious.