Russell

Wilson

Wilson was acquired by the Yankees from the Rangers last winter for future considerations, and he attended spring training with the Yankees without making an appearance in the Grapefruit League. You can expect Wilson to do the same in 2019, his baseball days are over.

Wilson, a fourth-round pick of the Rockies in 2010, played quarterback for University of Wisconsin this season, throwing for 3,175 yards and 33 touchdowns while leading the Badgers to the Rose Bowl. “I want to put all my focus in football and see where it takes me,” said Wilson. “I know that I have the talent, aptitude and leadership to succeed on the next level.” The 23-year-old played in 61 games with Class A Asheville last season, batting .228/.366/.708 over 236 plate appearances. Former former Dallas Cowboys executive Gil Brandt told the New York Times that he projects as a fourth-round pick in the NFL Draft.

The Rangers grabbed Wilson in this winter’s Rule 5 Draft, and now they’ll have him suit up for a spring game as a sort of photo op. He’ll work out with the team Monday morning and be in the dugout for their afternoon tilt. It’s a mere formality, though, as the Super Bowl champion quarterback has already achieved plenty of success in his other career. Wilson was previously a fourth-round pick of the Rockies in 2010.

The pick was made on Thursday. While the NFL superstar remains unlikely to ever pursue his baseball career again, the Rangers would like to be associated with him, and have their players and coaches be around someone with his drive and desire. Rangers general manager Jon Daniels has indicated that Wilson is excited to potentially come to spring training and wants to come to camp.

Wilson was selected by the Rangers in December’s Rule 5 Draft, but the Super Bowl-winning quarterback has no desire to return to baseball. He has been invited by the Rangers to talk to some of their minor league players this spring in camp, but the relationship between the two parties will not extend beyond that.

Wilson was drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft and played 61 games this season for Single-A Asheville. He has one year of college eligibility left and will spend it at quarterback in Madison. The 22-year-old could decide to return to baseball in the future if the NFL does not become an option.

Wilson graduated from N.C. State this spring, but still has a year of eligibility remaining. The quarterback has already made visits to Auburn and Wisconsin. “It’s just a matter of working through in his mind the full-time pursuit of baseball versus the potential in football,” a source told ESPN’s Joe Schad. Wilson, who was selected in the fourth round of the First-Year Player Draft last season, is batting .220/.367/.310 with 12 stolen bases and 77 strikeouts over his first 208 plate appearances with Class A Asheville this season. Baseball America ranked the 22-year-old as the Rockies’ No. 19 prospect over the winter.

Wilson was a fourth-round pick of the Rockies back in 2010 and briefly considered a career in baseball before declaring for the NFL Draft in 2012. He has since been named to four Pro Bowls. The Rangers selected the Seattle Seahawks quarterback in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft in 2013, mostly as a PR move, and he is expected to make an appearance at the Yankees’ Grapefruit League camp in Tampa, Florida sometime in February or March. But there is really nothing else to this story.