Once again, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson will find himself in spring training with an MLB team this year.
Thursday morning Mark Rodgers, Wilson's agent, told MLB Network Radio that Wilson will indeed report to spring training with the New York Yankees in a few weeks. It'll be his second straight spring with the Yankees.
Russell Wilson will attend spring training with the #Yankees this year, as he did in 2018, his @MLB agent, Mark Rodgers, just told us on @MLBNetworkRadio. @MLBNetwork @Seahawks
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 10, 2019
Wilson, a second baseman, played baseball in college at North Carolina State and even spent two years in pro ball with the Rockies organization, hitting .229/.354/.356 with five home runs in 93 low-level minor league games from 2010-11. Colorado made Wilson a fourth-round pick in 2010.
The Seahawks selected Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft and he has been their starting quarterback since. The Rockies continued to hold his baseball rights, however. The Rangers selected Wilson from the Rockies in the minor league phase of the 2013 Rule 5 Draft, then, last year, they traded his rights to the Yankees.
Wilson has no designs on playing baseball professionally, of course. He's sticking to football. Both the Rangers and Yankees brought him to spring training in recent years almost as a motivational speaker. He spends about a week in camp, mingling with young players and serving as a good role model, more or less.
As part of last year's spring stint Wilson worked out with the Yankees and was in the dugout during games. The Yankees did give him an at-bat in a spring training game after clearing it with the Seahawks. Wilson struck out against Braves lefty Max Fried
Spring training begins in approximately five weeks and the Seahawks were eliminated from the NFL playoffs last weekend. It's unlikely Wilson will jump right into baseball mode, however. He'll likely report to camp at some point in early-to-mid March.
Wilson's exact spring training schedule has not yet been announced -- that is still several weeks away from happening -- but, once again, he will rub elbows with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and others (perhaps even Manny Machado?) at Yankees camp this season.
Wilson is not the only quarterback/professional baseball player making headlines this week. Heisman Trophy winner and Oakland A's first-round 2018 draft pick Kyler Murray is reportedly leaning to a career on the gridiron. The Oklahoma QB originally planned on joining the A's for spring training in 2019, but he could end up being the top quarterback taken in the 2019 NFL Draft if he chooses football over baseball.
