Two Sport Russell

[lukerguy]

He's a .230 single A hitter... I'm not too concern..

No exaggeration that when I was 22 I could have been a .230 single A hitter. Would have been drafted if not for major injury. Tons of my friends play between rookie ball and majors..None of them stuck and all of them were talent. Some of them wasted 8 years in the minor before reaching AAA and told that they didn't have a future in the majors. The minor leagues are stocked with the corpses of talented young players who never made it.

 

[kearly]

If he ever developed into a MLB class player it would be fun to watch him in baseball during the offseason. But being the QB and a film room junkie with 'no time to sleep', his MLB career would only be able to exist up until about late July every season.

I think the timing of the slightly serious two-sport discussion is hard to ignore, given that he's in the midst of a contract negotiation that has gone on for months and may continue for months still. Athletes and agents will do anything they can to get even the slightest bit of leverage.

 

[Hawk-Lock]

Based on everything I've read and heard, Russell would be a single A prospect at best. Does anyone remember at what level in the minors Michael Jordan played?

I just can't take him serious when he is talking about it. Premier NFL Quarterback or a single A minor leaguer?

 

[Bigpumpkin]

I chalk this one up to Russell being Russell.

He's a hyper confident and competitive guy, so of course he'd never admit he's done with baseball.............even though his lifetime .230 batting average in A ball says otherwise.

Re: "hyper confident" Why not ask Ken Griffey Jr. about his last year with the M's?

 

[Seafan]

If he could bat .200 he'd be a star for the Mariners.

 

[Rocket]

Leverage move, albeit not a convincing one at all

Bull-hooey.
He was asked... he replied, essentially, "never say never". That's called a side-step.

Geez, y'all would jump at the sound of a fly farting lately.

 

[Sports Hernia]

Not too concerned about RW playing baseball as a career. He Hit .230 in A ball and struggled with breaking pitches. The desire may be there but the baseball talent to make it to the big leagues more than likely isn't. I hate to doubt RW on anything but I'm fairly confident he isn't a major league caliber baseball player.

 

[Sports Hernia]

Leverage move, albeit not a convincing one at all

Bull-hooey.
He was asked... he replied, essentially, "never say never". That's called a side-step.

Geez, y'all would jump at the sound of a fly farting lately.

True dat!

 

[Popeyejones]

Thoughts of baseball are common every spring.

For all you Brady fans, Tom Brady still thinks about baseball every spring.

TBF there's a wildly big difference between throwing out a ceremonial first pitch and saying you want to be a two sport athlete.

 

[ivotuk]

It's just a contract negotiating ploy. "Yea, I could play baseball...unless I were to get about 23.5 million per year."

 

[Sgt. Largent]

I chalk this one up to Russell being Russell.

He's a hyper confident and competitive guy, so of course he'd never admit he's done with baseball.............even though his lifetime .230 batting average in A ball says otherwise.

Re: "hyper confident" Why not ask Ken Griffey Jr. about his last year with the M's?

Don't we all want our players to be hyper confident? It's what gives them the confidence to succeed.

It's very rare that a player realizes it's time to walk away from the game, most are like Griffey...........they play until they hit the "OMG, I should have retired last year" wall.

Russell's just a confident guy that thinks if he set his mind to baseball he could succeed.

 

[rideaducati]

He can't hit a curve ball so he wouldn't make a major league roster and I doubt he'd sign on to be in the minors.

He is too short...they cant throw a strike at him. :twisted:

On a short note.....I played little league and I was SHORT....we put me butt to ankles and they always walked me. When you have a 2 inch strike zone...he he he.

When I pitched against a little guy that scrunched down like that, I'd plunk him and the next batter was scared and useless.

 

[rideaducati]

The smell of leather and fresh cut grass never goes away.

It triggers thoughts of baseball every spring.

It will return to him every spring.

I can assure all of you ...... it's a lifelong affliction.

I sure do miss that smell.

 

[Tical21]

I can assure you this has zero to do with his contract. If anything, it would hurt him in negotiations. The list of guys that have made it in two sports in the last 50 years is about a handful of guys long. And one of them being a quarterback? You're talking about the most rarefied air imaginable. Kudos to him if he thinks he can make it and wants to try. If I had the talent to do it, and my franchise wouldn't let me try, I might try to find a new one that would. I think this is something he's serious about. I don't think he'll ever try it, but man I think he wants to, and probably thinks about it often. As Jville said, baseball is one of those things that sticks in your soul.

 

[EastCoastHawksFan]

I wish he did play baseball , it would make that sport a lot more interesting . Go Rangers !

I would support Wilson with whatever he chooses to do.

 

[Siouxhawk]

He'd be the best player on the Twins today.

 

[JimmyG]

Tons of my friends play between rookie ball and majors..None of them stuck and all of them were talent. Some of them wasted 8 years in the minor before reaching AAA and told that they didn't have a future in the majors. The minor leagues are stocked with the corpses of talented young players who never made it.

This has to be a devastating feeling. I'm an avid baseball fan and think about this all the time. Imagine if you were that close to making the majors, but just couldn't get over the hump! It's so close you can taste it, but you're just not good enough. I also empathize with the players that get a brief cup of coffee in the majors but then nothing more.

I mean, it's all a matter of perspective. If your worst problem in life is that your talent stagnated in minor league baseball, then you've probably had a pretty good life. But still, it's got to be a really frustrating thing to experience.

 

[rideaducati]

He'd be the best player on the Twins today.

Yeah, but the best football player on a MLB team wouldn't be of much help.