Texas Rangers: What Could Russell Wilson Be as a Baseball Player?
By David Hill
With the Seattle Seahawks beginning their preseason slate of action tomorrow, a lot of eyes will be upon Russell Wilson. While he is not the focal point of the team, as the Seahawks are built around Marshawn Lynch and a stout defense, Wilson is entering the season with high expectations. The Seahawks made moves to solidify their passing game, such as the acquisition of Jimmy Graham, and Wilson is expected to take a step forward in his development at quarterback this season.
Prior to his time as an NFL quarterback, Wilson was considered a decent baseball prospect as well. Selected in the fourth round by the Colorado Rockies in the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft, Wilson spent two seasons in the minors, compiling a career .229/.354/.356 batting line with five home runs and 19 stolen bases. He was selected by the Texas Rangers in the minor league portion of the Rule V Draft, and has even appeared at Spring Training with them, albeit for one day. Teams are still interested in the Seahawks quarterback as a baseball player.
Obviously, given his football commitments, Wilson was not able to focus exclusively upon improving his craft as a hitter or a second baseman. But what if the situation had changed? What if, instead of pursuing an NFL career, or if the NFL was not essentially a 365 day commitment as it has evolved in to, Wilson had stuck with baseball? What could he have become?
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It seems apparent that speed would be a big part of Wilson’s game. He stole aforementioned 19 bases in 27 attempts, but he went 15 for 17 in the stolen base department in his final season in 2011. Wilson had a bit of pop, hitting five home runs in 379 plate appearances, but was more likely to be a double and triple hitter. His career 13.5% walk rate was excellent, as Wilson displayed tremendous plate discipline, despite being a raw prospect.
Defensively, Wilson obviously had a strong arm for a second baseman, but he was also solid with the glove. Wilson made only seven errors in 415 chances, and had an excellent 4.74 range factor. While his profile may not have translated into the type of stardom that Wilson has gone on to reach in the NFL, he could have been a solid second baseman, getting chances due to his excellent defense and speed.
Even though the days of the two sport star, like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, are likely gone, it is interesting to imagine what Russell Wilson could have been. Perhaps, if Wilson holds out at some point in the future, the Texas Rangers could find out.