The MLB Draft has definitely been the setting of many surprises throughout the years.
We often see college stars selected in the top ten who fail to make it to the major leagues, and unheralded prospects from smaller programs drafted after the first ten rounds who become stars.
What happened in the 2010 draft is still shocking to many MLB (and NFL fans).
Russell Wilson was drafted ahead of who??? 👀 pic.twitter.com/6S9L38kigS
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 14, 2022
The Baltimore Orioles had actually selected Russell Wilson in the 41st round in 2007, but he opted to go to NC State, where he played football and baseball.
In 2010, the Colorado Rockies took Wilson in the fourth round, 140th overall.
He was a second baseman.
In the summer of 2010, Wilson played for the Tri-City Dust Devils, the Class-A Short-Season affiliate of the Rockies in the Northwest League.
His numbers were modest, with a .230 batting average.
He Went With Football…And It Worked Out Just Fine
Then, in the summer of 2011, he played 61 games for the Asheville Tourists, the Class-A affiliate of the Rockies in the South Atlantic League.
He also struggled there, and in January 2012, he let the Rockies know he would be pursuing a career in the NFL.
It all turned out just fine: he made two Super Bowls with the Seattle Seahawks, winning one; and has nine Pro Bowl selections.
It’s just curious he was taken ahead of Jacob deGrom, Kris Bryant, Joc Pederson, and Aaron Judge.
But those were the conditions at the time: most of those players had commitments to college that were very hard to break, and actually ended up being high selections in subsequent drafts.
deGrom was a shortstop, and not a very good one, so there is that, too.
Wilson’s baseball rights currently belong to the Somerset Patriots, the New York Yankees’ Double-A affiliate.
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