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Updated: June 5, 1:36 PM ET Chronology: Two-sport stars By David Schoenfield ESPN.com | ||||||||||||||||||
| How talented is Joe Mauer?
He may be the No. 1 pick by the Minnesota Twins in Tuesday's baseball draft. He's signed to play quarterback at Florida State and was ranked the No. 1 high school football player in the country by recruiting expert Tom Lemming. Oh, he even averaged nearly 20 points a game in basketball as his team finished third in the state.
The dilemma facing Mauer and Roscoe Crosby, a star wide receiver who Lemming ranked as the No. 8 recruit in the country, isn't a new one. The past decade has seen many baseball/football stars facing a tough decision about their athletic future. Here are some of the best of the best football/baseball stars of the past decade and what happened to them as they tried to pursue two sports are stick with one:
2000 Joe Borchard: Slated to be Stanford's starting quarterback in the fall of 2000, the White Sox drafted Borchard 12th overall. An outfielder with enormous power potential, Mel Kiper Jr. had rated Borchard as one of the three top junior QBs. Instead, he agreed to a $5.3 million signing bonus, the highest in the draft, and gave up football. The bonus amount was criticized as excessive by Sandy Alderson, vice president of baseball operations for MLB.
Chad Hutchinson: Another Stanford quarterback, Hutchinson had turned $1.6 million out of high school as a first-round pick by the Braves. As a pitcher, some scouts considered him the best arm in the country, but signability issues dropped him to the Cardinals with the 48th pick. He signed a $3.4 million contract with St. Louis and is currently in Triple-A. Drew Henson: Lemming, also a baseball afficiondo, called Henson the best two-sport guy he's ever seen. Henson had set a prep career home run record, but fell to the Yankees in the third round due to his commitment to play quarterback at Michigan. The Yankees gave him $2 million and let him continue his football career. Henson would have been a senior this fall and the potential No. 1 pick in the 2002 NFL draft, but the Yankees re-acquired Henson from the Reds and gave him a six-year, $17 million to give up football. Broke his hand in April, but could reach the Yankees next year as a third baseman. Choo Freeman: Set a Texas prep record with 50 career touchdown receptions. The Rockies gave him $1.4 million as a supplemental first-rounder to buy him away from Texas A&M. An outfielder, Freeman is hitting just .199 in Class A. Chip Ambres, Adam Dunn: The best quarterbacks in Texas, Ambres was headed to Texas A&M, Dunn to Texas. Ambres was drafted by the Marlins in the first round and concentrated on baseball. He's hitting .313 with 3 HRs in Class A. Dunn signed with the Reds as a second-rounder, but was allowed to play football. He eventually gave that up and has blossomed as one of the best power-hitting prospects in the minors. 1997 Darnell McDonald: A two-sport star from Colorado, Lemming called McDonald one of the five best prep running backs in the country. He was also a top-five baseball talent, but slid to the Orioles at 26th. But he signed for $1.9 million, the third-highest bonus that year, and gave up his Texas football scholarship. Hasn't blossomed in baseball and is hitting .156 in Triple-A. Kenny Kelly: Drafted in the secound by the Devil Rays, Kelly played minor-league baseball while playing quarterback at Miami (Fla.). Started one year for the Hurricanes, before switching full-time to baseball. Now with Seattle, hitting .243 with one home run in Doubl-A. 1996 Quincy Carter: A first-round talent who fell to the Cubs in the second round, Carter played baseball part-time in the summer while playing quarterback at Georgia. Flamed out in baseball, but was drafted by Dallas in the most recent NFL draft. 1994 Josh Booty: The ultimate baseball flameout. USA Today's offensive player of the year as record-setting QB, Booty spurned LSU for a then-record $1.6 million bonus from the Marlins as the fifth pick in the draft. But he couldn't hit, went to LSU and was drafted by the Seahawks in the seventh round of this year's NFL draft. George Lombard: One of the nation's top two or three running backs, according to Lemming, Lombard passed up Georgia football for a $425,000 bonus from the Braves as a second-round pick. His great athletic ability hasn't translated into baseball stardom and a foot problem may sideline him all season this year. 1993 Trot Nixon: A prep All-American quarterback, Nixon was headed to North Carolina State before getting drafted seventh overall by the Red Sox. Kirk Presley: Another highly recruited QB, Presley was considered a tough sign due to his football commitment to Mississippi State. The Mets gambled and took him in the first round. He signed for $900,000, but arm injuries ruined his career. 1992 Shea Morenz: Lemming's top ranked prep QB, Morenz was first-round talent, but slid to the sixth round by the Blue Jays. He didn't sign, went to Texas and later became a first-round pick by the Yankees, but his baseball career never materialized. 1990 Chris Weinke: Headed to Florida State, Weinke instead signed for $375,000 as a third-round pick of the Blue Jays. After fizzling in the minors, he went back to football at FSU and won the Heisman Trophy last fall. |
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