Russell Wilson will join Rangers in Spring Training again
By Lou Musto
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson did not have the fortune of enjoying another Super Bowl victory this year, but it appears he will be joining the Texas Rangers again in Spring Training, as first reported by the Boston Globe.
Well, at least Russell Wilson has Spring Training with the #Rangers to look forward to.
— Baseball Essential (@BB_Essential) February 2, 2015
The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback is a former infielder who was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB Draft out of N.C. State. In two years in Rockies’ minor league system, he hit .225 in 315 at-bats with the Tri-City Devils and Asheville Tourists. In his most recent season, 2011, Wilson posted a .366 on-base percentage despite hitting just .228. He finished his baseball career with five home runs, 26 runs batted in, 19 stolen bases and a line of .229/.354/.356.
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“I love baseball, so any opportunity I would have to hang out with the guys and take some swings, I’ll take,” he told the Globe recently.
The Rangers claimed Wilson’s rights in the 2013 Rule 5 Draft. He spent a day with the Rangers in Spring Training last year, hanging out around the team’s Surprise, Ariz. complex and chatting it up with fans and players. In an effort to retain Wilson’s services, the Rangers placed the 26-year-old NFL star on their Triple-A roster to protect him in the Rule 5 Draft.
The details of his visit are unknown, but it’s fair to assume it won’t go much deeper than his experience last spring.
His presence in camp could have a valuable effect on the younger players, as the Star-Telegram‘s Jeff Wilson notes. His successes and failures provide him the ability to give advice to those in search of some sort of confidence booster and maybe even teaching them a little accountability.
Wilson and the Seahawks failed to win their second consecutive Super Bowl on Sunday, falling literally one yard shy to the New England Patriots by the score of 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX. The quarterback and Rangers infielder threw the game-clinching interception at the goal line in what has been deemed one of the most questionable play calls in Super Bowl history.
Individually, Wilson had one of the better regular seasons for a quarterback in the NFL. He passed for a career-high 3,475 yards with 20 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He also rushed for 849 yards and six touchdowns—both led all quarterbacks.