Russell Wilson taken by Rangers in Rule 5 baseball draft
If Seattle Seahawks star Russell Wilson has a sudden change of heart and decides playing quarterback for one of the best teams in the NFL just isn’t for him, he has a nice future lined up with the Texas Rangers. On Thursday, the Rangers selected Wilson in baseball’s Rule 5 draft.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, the Rule 5 draft allows teams to take minor leaguers who are not currently on 40-man rosters from other teams. Since Wilson was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in 2010 and spent parts of two seasons in Class-A, he had the necessary amount of service time in the minor leagues to be eligible for the Rule 5 draft.
As Deadspin pointed out, the Rangers now owe the Rockies $12,000 and can keep Wilson on their Triple-A reserve list. Should he ever decide the pursuit of a Super Bowl is no longer the thrill he is looking for, Wilson can return to baseball and join the Rangers farm system.
Wilson played college baseball at NC State for three seasons and was taken in the fourth round of the MLB draft, so his baseball talent is obviously no joke. That being said, the Rangers likely selected him in the Rule 5 draft to get people like us to talk about it. If nothing else, they can now say Russell Wilson is connected to their organization.
