Shaq Thompson may have gone 0-for-39 with 37 strikeouts last season with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox in rookie ball, but that doesn’t mean he’s given up on the sport.
Thompson, who also played cornerback, safety and linebacker for the 2012 Washington Huskies, will be returning to the Red Sox this spring and summer. Thompson told the Seattle Times he will travel to Florida this weekend to begin his 2013 season in minor league training camp with the Red Sox. Between football and school, Thompson will only be able to play baseball for weeks at a time.
“I’ll just continue to go every week or so, every time we get off [from football],” Thompson said. “We talked about it. We’ve got it scheduled out, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Thompson was an 18th-round pick for the Red Sox in 2012. He got a $45,000 signing bonus and can make up to $100,000 if he plays four years. Thompson walked eight times last season, drove in a run and stole a base.
Thompson will also be going through a position switch with the Huskies. He was recruited as a safety, but mostly played a hybrid nickel cornerback/linebacker role his freshman year. Next season, he will be transitioning full time to linebacker, which better suits his 6-foot-2, 230-pound frame.
Thompson had 74 tackles, 8 1/2 tackles for loss, two sacks and three interceptions in his true freshman season. He also added two kick returns for 46 yards and two punt returns for eight yards. It’s clear that if baseball doesn’t work out for the center fielder, he has a bright future as an NFL linebacker.
