MLB insiders: Russell Wilson would've made the big leagues
Russell Wilson didn't wield any elite baseball tools when he was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round of 2010 draft, but certain industry insiders remain confident the 26-year-old's athleticism and work ethic could've enabled him to reach the majors had he not opted for a career in football.
"There was no doubt in my mind - and some call me crazy - that he would someday have worn a major-league uniform," Joe Mikulik, Wilson's manager during his 2011 stint in the Low-A South Atlantic League, told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Though scouts raved about Wilson's makeup, the young infielder was unable to devote his undivided attention to baseball at North Carolina State, where he also compiled 8,545 passing yards and a 109:30 touchdown-to-interception as quarterback through his junior season.
Despite his relative lack of baseball experience, Wilson spent two summers in the Rockies organization following the 2010 draft, hitting .229/.354/.356 with five home runs and 19 stolen bases over 93 games between stints in the low levels of the minors.
"He was a good athlete and a tremendous teammate," said Rockies scouting director Bill Schmidt, the man who drafted Wilson for Colorado. "He had a lot of passion and amazing work ethic. It was going to take a lot of at-bats. But I thought he had a chance."
When the opportunity arose, however, for Wilson to spend his final year of NCAA eligibility as Wisconsin's quarterback, he promptly put his professional baseball career on hold - a decision that turned out to be permanent.
Wilson thrived in his lone season at Wisconsin and was shortly thereafter selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft. The devout Virginia native will vie for his second Super Bowl championship in as many seasons Sunday, but Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels - who selected Wilson in the 2014 Rule 5 draft - isn't convinced Wilson couldn't still have a future in baseball.
"I wouldn't put it past him," said Daniels. "He wouldn't be out-worked. He would have had to do more offensively than defensively, but I would not bet against the man if he committed himself."