Tom Brady, widely considered the best football player ever, has announced his retirement once more. This time, he says it’s “for good.” He exits the game with seven Super Bowl rings (more than any single franchise), five Super Bowl MVPs, and as the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards (89,214) and touchdowns (649).
Before fully committing to a football career, Brady had once contemplated pursuing a career in baseball. He had enough talent to be selected by the Montreal Expos in the 18th round of the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft.
John Hughes, the Expos scout who drafted Brady, had this to say about Brady the baseball player: “I never had as much fun scouting a player that we eventually didn’t sign,” chuckled Hughes, now an area scout with the Marlins. “We knew we didn’t have a good chance to sign him, because he had the scholarship (to play football for the University of) Michigan. “He was drafted in the 18th round because everyone knew how difficult it would be to sign him,” Hughes said. “He was very talented. I mean on talent alone he would have been projected a late second-round pick. “And I believe he would have made it, as a catcher, he would have gotten there.”
Brady participated in various sports during his high school years, one of which was baseball. He served as a left-handed hitting catcher at Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, California. His talent was evident as he was chosen by the Montreal Expos in the 18th round of the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft. Despite his skill in baseball, Brady chose to pursue football at Michigan.
Brady, however, was not so optimistic about making it to the big leagues. “I’d be selling insurance, man. Baseball was not my sport,” Brady previously told the “Dan Patrick Show.”
Brady will be remembered not only for his football achievements, but also as the final active professional athlete to be selected by the Expos. The previous athlete to hold this distinction was Ian Desmond, who was drafted by the Expos in 2004 but did not make his MLB debut until 2009, after the team had relocated and become the Washington Nationals. Similar to Brady, Desmond never actually competed for the Expos.
Relevant articles:
– Tom Brady becomes last active Montreal Expos draft pick to retire from …
– MLB Franchise That Drafted Tom Brady Reacts to His Retirement
– Tom Brady leaves NFL as last Montreal Expos pick to retire – New York Post
– When was Tom Brady drafted by the Montreal Expos? – StyleCaster