Russell Wilson expected to suit up for Rangers game on March 3
Seattle Seahawks quarterback and former minor league second baseman Russell Wilson expressed his desire to appear at spring training with the Texas Rangers almost immediately following his team's Super Bowl victory. That appearance is now official and is scheduled to take place on Monday, March 3, when the Rangers prepare to take on the Cleveland Indians in Surprise, Ariz.
Wilson is expected to join the Rangers for their morning workout, which in and of itself is pretty cool. But according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, he's not stopping there. Wilson is now expected to hang around and even suit up for the afternoon game so he can sit in the dugout with his baseball teammates.
It's still highly unlikely that Wilson would play, because let's face it, the Seahawks would not sign off on that and Wilson doesn't want to take any unnecessary risks against live pitching. However, Rangers manager Ron Washington says Wilson is free to participate in any drills he wants to during the workout, so expect him to be very active on Monday morning.
Wilson has baseball in his blood, after all. Sure, he made the best choice for his career and pursued football, but his passion for baseball won't disappear that easily. He was good enough to be drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round of the 2010 draft, and even spent two years in their minor league system. Despite hitting just .229/.354/.356 with five home runs in 93 Single-A games, if Wilson committed his full energy to baseball, he had a chance to break through, but football was always there calling his name, and his incredible athleticism lent itself to that sport perfectly.
Wilson is on the path to becoming one of the NFL's biggest stars, but it's still cool to see his passion for baseball on display. It's also cool to see the Rangers — who selected Wilson during the Rule 5 draft back in December — give him the opportunity to show up and participate. Honestly, had he remained with the Rockies, this opportunity may not have presented itself this spring. Remember, it was the Denver Broncos who were steamrolled by Wilson and Seattle's Legion of Boom defense at Met Life Stadium. That's going to be fresh in Denver sports fans' minds for a long time, so the reception probably wouldn't be as welcoming as what he'll receive with Texas.
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