The Boston Red Sox selected Florida Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks in the 31st round of the 2019 MLB Draft knowing that the prospect would potentially stick with football. Months later, it appears he’s sticking to his guns… Maybe.
Franks spoke at SEC media day on Monday and said that baseball is his “backup plan,” per ESPN’s Mike Rodak.
“My career is football,” Franks said. “My main focus is football (in) college, then hopefully a career in the NFL. Then (baseball) is kind of like a backup plan, backup job.”
On the bright side for Boston, Franks isn’t totally ruling out baseball. He hasn’t pitched since his junior year of high school, but the quarterback said he threw 94 mph in a workout for the Red Sox.
“I haven’t thrown in a while, so I wasn’t perfect, but I was in the strike zone,” Franks said, per Rodak. “I threw 88, 89 (in high school). I threw harder (for the Red Sox), but I don’t know how. I really haven’t picked up a baseball in four or five years. I don’t know — it just came natural.”
Franks signed for $40,000 last week and has “expressed interest” in baseball down the road, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. As expected, he’ll finish off his football career at Florida before making any decision regarding his future.
The Red Sox signed Franks for $40,000. He’s expressed interest in exploring pro baseball with the Sox down the road, but TBD if he ever does so or if, like prior Sox draft pick/signee Jeff Driskel (also from Florida), he doesn’t end up doing so.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) July 12, 2019
Franks, now a redshirt junior, has started 21 games for the Gators over the last two seasons. He threw for 2,457 yards and 24 touchdowns last year while leading Florida to a 10-3 record.
