FOXBORO, Mass. — Tom Brady made a seismic, life-altering decision that would change the course of football history when he wasn’t even old enough to vote.
As you probably know, Brady was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 15th round of the 1995 Major League Baseball draft at age 17. Brady could have started living out a boyhood dream of becoming a professional athlete directly out of high school. Maybe he could have saved the Expos and still be playing. Instead of being referred to as “The GOAT,” he’d be “Le Chèvre.” (Or, you know, some other acronym that stands for “greatest of all time” in French.)
Maybe the Expos, rather than the Los Angeles Dodgers, are playing the Boston Red Sox in the World Series right now in this alternate timeline, in which the Patriots also don’t have backup quarterback Brian Hoyer, wide receiver Julian Edelman, edge defender Kyle Van Noy, kicker Stephen Gostkowski or practice squad linebacker Calvin Munson. James White probably still is the Patriots’ third-down back, however.
Hoyer and Gostkowski, both pitchers, got sniffs from MLB scouts out of high school. Munson, also a pitcher, was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 31st round of the 2013 MLB draft. Van Noy, another pitcher, said he was hitting low-90s with his fastball as a sophomore before throwing his arm out. Edelman’s baseball career also was derailed by injuries.
Brady instead chose to play quarterback at Michigan. The rest of his teammates also fell down the football path. Why?
TOM BRADY
Brady was a lefty hitter with power who obviously had a rocket right arm as a cerebral catcher. Why didn’t he sign the Expos’ contract offer and hit the minor leagues?
“I think at that point I had kind of fallen in love with football,” Brady told NESN.com. “So, I had already chosen Michigan at that time. Even though the Expos drafted me, it was going to be hard to get me out of Michigan. And I was just so looking forward to going and playing football there.”
Brady never considered being a two-sport athlete at Michigan for a reason even he admits is a little illogical.
“Ironically, baseball was very hard on my body,” Brady said. “I liked playing catcher, and that kind of bothered my knees. And my arm would hurt all the time throwing a baseball. So, I figured I’d go play football because my body hurt less. That doesn’t make any sense, but I really think football was my first real love.
“I loved playing as a kid even though I didn’t play organized football until high school. When I finally got my chance to play organized football, I just stuck with that.”
BRIAN HOYER
Baseball was Hoyer’s first love. He was the starting pitcher when St. Ignatius High School won an Ohio state championship in 2002. His plan was to pitch and play football at Michigan State, but he was told he’d never be the Spartans’ starting quarterback if he played two sports. Hoyer wisely chose to stick with football.
“As a 17-year-old kid, I was like, ‘Well, a lot of people throw 92 (mph),’ not really thinking ahead, like, if I added some bulk and trained a little bit, I probably could have thrown a little harder,” Hoyer said. “This is the time of year I miss it most when you’re watching the World Series and the playoffs. Definitely miss it, but I think I made a pretty decent choice.”
STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI
Gostkowski did play baseball and football at Memphis. He actually went to Memphis on a baseball scholarship. After a solid freshman season in which he went 4-5 with a 3.99 ERA with 46 strikeouts over 65 innings, Gostkowski lost control with his arm as he continued to improve accuracy with his leg.
Gostkowski won a Mississippi state championship his senior season at Madison Central High School. He played center field in Games 1 and 3 of a three-game series and pitched in Game 2. He hit home runs in Games 2 and 3.
“I threw like 90 to 92 (mph),” Gostkowski said. “The fastest I ever topped out at was 94. I had not a very good curveball. That was my problem. I had a good changeup and a decent slider, but my curveball was really bad. I threw a lot of strikes, didn’t walk a lot of people but obviously, I didn’t have that out pitch that could take me to the next level.”
CALVIN MUNSON
Munson was a standout on the football field at San Diego State, but he only played one season on the diamond with the Aztecs. He learned after a year off from the sport that he wasn’t as good as he remembered.
He pitched 5 1/3 innings and posted an 8.44 ERA with four strikeouts in 2015.
“I was throwing decently hard, but I just couldn’t (throw strikes),” Munson said. “I don’t know if it was football and I got too big or what, but I just didn’t have the same flexibility.”
Munson was self-depreciating about his baseball career. He also won a state title in Missouri.
“I think I had a decent amount of bombs, like nine or 10 (home runs in his senior season),” Munson said. “If it wasn’t a bomb, it was a strikeout. My junior year, I don’t think I led the state in home runs, but I led the state in strikeouts for sure. My brother, he played baseball at Mizzou. He was two years older, and he was the same way, home run or strikeout, and I think I broke his strikeout record.”
KYLE VAN NOY
Baseball is the only thing Van Noy likes to boast about. He claims to have had an impressive repertoire of pitches, including a knuckleball.
“I was supposed to be drafted,” Van Noy said smiling. “That’s my hidden talent.”
JULIAN EDELMAN
Edelman was a self-admitted “baller” as a shortstop on the diamond, but he hurt his shoulder as a sophomore on the football field. He missed his sophomore and junior baseball seasons and hurt his back trying to make a comeback as a senior. He quit the team to play spring football at College of San Mateo.
“I ended up swinging so much I hurt my back,” Edelman said. “I used to take 400 cuts a night at my buddy Doug Henson’s house, and I ended up ruining my back. And then I could play football, though. It was crazy.”
We learned today, via Brady and Edelman, that baseball is harder on the body than football. Who knew? Well, other than Eduardo Nunez.
JAMES WHITE
White also played baseball in high school, but he admittedly wasn’t very good at the plate. He played shortstop growing up but moved to center field in high school.
“Good in the field, struggled a little bit at bat,” White said laughing. “Once I committed to football, I kind of (fell off a little bit).”
White went to the Florida state championship with St. Aquinas High School during his senior season but lost.
