A former top MLB draft pick will be attempting to play another sport.
Donavan Tate, who was the No. 3 pick by the San Diego Padres in the 2009 draft, will be walking on to the Arizona football team as a quarterback this summer.
The Arizona Daily Star’s Michael Lev shares the news on Tate:
The QB Arizona is adding is 26-year-old Donavan Tate, former top-five pick in the 2009 MLB draft whose baseball career did not pan out.
— Michael Lev (@MichaelJLev) May 4, 2017
I'm told new Arizona QB Dovavan Tate will be a walk-on. Padres, who picked him No. 3 overall in 09 MLB draft, will pay his college costs.
— Michael Lev (@MichaelJLev) May 4, 2017
The note about the Padres paying for his college is a standard aspect of baseball contracts when teams select top high school players.
Tate was 19 when he entered pro ball in 2010 and batted .222 in rookie ball. But he battled substance abuse issues and never made it above A-ball.
What has Donavan Tate overcome? This graf from @sdutSanders is telling. #ArizonaWildcats pic.twitter.com/BUqikKzUPM
— Ryan Finley (@ryan_finley) May 4, 2017
A career .226 hitter in the minors, Tate’s career ended after last season.
Tate, now 26, was a top football recruit out of high school in Georgia.
Donavan Tate had an offer from ASU coming out of high school. pic.twitter.com/WEROQHl9Ih
— Shane Dale (@ShaneDaleABC15) May 4, 2017
He was originally committed to play at North Carolina but decided to try pro baseball instead.
Tate will compete with Brandon Dawkins, Khalil Tate, and two freshmen at quarterback for Arizona.
