Texas Rangers Take Seahawks QB Russell Wilson In Rule 5 Draft
Dec 8, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) prepares to throw a pass against the San Francisco 49ers in the second quarter at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The Rule 5 draft is mostly just there to make us wonder what the heck Rule 5 is, but every now and then it leads to a story worth spending words on. That time has come around again thanks to the Texas Rangers.
On Thursday the Rangers used a less-than-precious pick in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft to select former Colorado Rockies farm hand Russell Wilson.
Did I mention this is the same Russell Wilson who currently plays quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks?
Most people know Wilson was a baseball player for awhile in college before transferring to Wisconsin, blowing up the Big 10 for a year, getting drafted and becoming an NFL superstar. What they didn’t know is that Wilson is also some kind of Knute Rockne-level motivational genius.
The Rangers know Wilson will never become a valuable baseball player – dude can’t hit a curveball to save his life, which is why he’s playing football – but maybe he can lay some of his word voodoo on their guys during spring training. Yes, that is actually the explanation Texas is giving for this pick.
“Everything you see and read about him and seeing him play on Sundays, you hear about the work ethic, the person,” Rangers assistant general manager A.J. Preller said. “I think that’s going to be a positive message for all of our players in our system, our coaches, everybody to have somebody like that around.”
Wilson has already been contacted about this and is down with the plan. He wants to work out in spring training next year with the Rangers. It cost $12,000 for the Rangers to take him in the draft. So basically the Rangers just spent $12,000 to have Russell Wilson’s aura rub off on their players in spring training.
Russell Wilson, human hippie crystal.
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