Before Russell Wilson was the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks or even an NFL player, he was a minor league second baseman in the Colorado Rockies farm system. Even after asserting himself as both a Pro Bowler and one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, though, apparently some teams are still hoping he might want to play baseball, too.
Although he seems pretty set on continuing his NFL career, Wilson’s baseball journey rolled forward on Thursday. The Texas Rangers selected Wilson with the 15th overall pick in the Triple-A phase of MLB’s Rule 5 draft Thursday morning, poaching him from the Rockies.
Wilson, a fourth-round pick of the Rockies in 2010, spent two seasons with the Rockies’ Class-A affiliate before informing the organization that he wouldn’t report for spring training in 2012 as he would instead be pursuing a career in the NFL. Wilson,25, did show great promise as a second baseman during his time both at North Carolina State and with the Rockies, making the Rangers’ interest understandable, although it’s unlikely that he’ll ever suit up for them at any level.
Wilson played 93 games between Tri-City Dust Devils, the Rockies’ Class A Short Season team, and Class-A Asheville in 2010 and 2011. He batted a combined .229 with five home runs, 28 RBIs and 19 stolen bases during his short career.
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