Shaq Thompson had one of the worst minor league baseball careers imaginable after being drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 18th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft.
Now, Thompson is a standout football player at the University of Washington.
Thompson, drafted by Boston as an outfielder, played 13 games with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox in 2012. He went 0-for-39 with 37 strikeouts, though he did manage eight walks in 47 plate appearances.
The struggles on the diamond shouldn’t be too surprising since, according to WEEI.com’s Alex Speier, Thompson didn’t play baseball between sixth grade and his senior year of high school. Thompson still had a passion for baseball, though, and it took his minor league failures for him to realize football definitely was the way to go.
Thompson clearly made a wise decision. Though he excelled in football during his freshman season even before joining the Red Sox organization, the 20-year-old is taking things to a whole new level in 2014.
Thompson returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown and returned a fumble 52 yards for another score Saturday as Washington defeated Illinois 44-19, improving the Huskies’ record to 3-0. He became the first Washington player in 20 years to score via fumble and interception in the same game.
Thompson, who scored a 57-yard touchdown on offense last week, quickly is becoming an intriguing NFL draft prospect in his junior season. Go figure.
Photo via Twitter/@tweetcinemasite
