Chicago Cubs: Finding Colin Kaepernick a job

Colin Kaepernick is focused on resuming his NFL career, but he could have another option should he once again fail to land a job.

Back in 2009, the Chicago Cubs took a chance on a soon to be college quarterback, hoping that he would look to make the transition to the diamond. A top pitching prospect in high school, he only received one scholarship offer to play football. He chose that scholarship, heading to Utah to become their quarterback, but in the 43rd round, the Cubs certainly felt that player was worth taking a chance.

That player? None other than former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. As a senior at Pitman High School in Turlock, CA, he was 9-2 with a 1.27 ERA, striking out 97 batters in 83 innings. He allowed just 42 hits, and threw two no hitters that year. With his fastball that was already in the lower 90s, Kaepernick had the attention of the baseball world.

While his time away from the diamond has provided some rust, the pitching star of old still shines through. In 2013, he threw an 87 MPH first pitch to Sergio Romo, who was not wearing any protective gear and obviously was not expecting that type of a throw.

While his NFL career has come to a screeching halt due to his protests, there is hope that he could return to the gridiron. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, as part of his admission that the league was wrong regarding those protests, is pushing to get Kaepernick back into the league. But that requires a team to make an offer, which Goodell cannot force them to do.

There is another option. He was a highly touted pitcher a decade ago, and could potentially look to pursue that career. Other failed quarterbacks have already made the same decision, with Tim Tebow still languishing in the Mets system and Christian Hackenberg attempting to begin his baseball journey. Why not Kaepernick?

Of course, such a career would be a longshot. Kaepernick is already 32 years old, and would need to knock the rust off quickly to be a part of a major league franchise. However, the talent is, or at least was, there. Maybe, just maybe, he should toe the rubber once more and see what he has.

It may be time for Colin Kaepernick to trade in the helmet for a glove. If the NFL does not come calling, there is always the possibility that Major League Baseball will.