Did you know that there is a current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback that was actually drafted HIGHER than Aaron Judge. Strange now but back then, there wasn’t the least bit of controversy.
Russell Wilson is on his way to a Hall of Fame career on the gridiron just like Judge is on the diamond. His ten-year career with the Seattle Seahawks produced two Super Bowl appearances and one championship. After a couple of seasons in Denver, Russ is the early starting quarterback going into training camp.
What gets forgotten is Wilson was a two-sport athlete at N.C. State, playing quarterback in football and shortstop in baseball. His infield work got enough attention to be drafted by the Colorado Rockies with the 140th pick in the 4th round in 2010.
A couple of seasons in the minors and his rights ended up with…the Yankees who still own his rights. Soon after, Russ committed to football and transferred to the University of Wisconsin.
Aaron Judge was a multi-sport athlete as well in high school. A natural athlete with imposing size, who dominated in baseball, hoops and the gridiron.
Judge was eventually drafted with the (this is why General Managers get fired!) 935th pick in the 31st round by the Oakland Athletics. Like Wilson, his rights ended up with the Yankees.
Yes…the two did play together in 2018 in a Spring Training game!
Russell Wilson did work out with the Yankees in spring training during the NFL offseason. At the time, Russ was at the top of the NFL world as one of the best quarterbacks of the time. Even though it was a publicity stunt to some, Wilson had fun with it, even calling out the MLBbros Judge and Giancarlo Stanton to catch a few passes.
"Aaron Judge I know you wanna throw some passes, let's play some ball … Stanton, I'm coming for you too"
Wilson opened a few eyes hitting six “Bro Bombs” in batting practice and even though baseball was in the rear-view mirror, Wilson shared his love for the game with ESPN…
“This (baseball) is what I’ve known my whole life,” Wilson told reporters including Cole Harvey after Monday’s practice. “Now I couldn’t just step on a basketball, but baseball. It’s like riding a bike once you get back out there for me. It’s not an easy sport, though. It’s very, very difficult.”
Russ found out the difference between batting practice and real game pitching when he pinch hit for Judge…
Even though it’s obvious all parties went in the right direction, Wilson got a chance to try two sports at once.
But it was about fulfilling a promise to his father for Russell Wilson…
“The reason this is so special to me,” Wilson told The MMQB in a telephone interview, “is that I used to always tell my dad I always wanted to be a Yankee. I said to him, ‘Some day, Dad, I will be a Yankee.’ And so now that dream has come true—a little bit. My main, No. 1 focus is winning Super Bowls and winning football games. But the reality is that baseball has always been a major part of my life, and I couldn’t be happier to be keeping that alive with the Yankees.”
MLBbro Jazz Chisholm dominated the baseball headlines over the weekend when the New York Yankees pulled the trigger and made the trade with the Miami Marlins in an effort to spark an end to an extensive slide in the standings.
MLBbro.com had been monitoring the potential move from the beginning knowing that with the Marlins starting to go in another direction, Chisholm was their best trade chip to begin the youth movement.
Despite his bro bombing, stealing bases and making mature plays after being throw into the third base position from the outfield, Jazz has his vocal doubters, who still feel as if he’s overrated. He’s said nothing but complimentary things about the Yankees and the team’s history.
However, former baseball executive David Samson, who was the Marlins team president from the year 2002-17, didn’t share this excitement.
Samson was on ‘The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz’ on Wednesday, where he called Chisholm Jr. “average.”
Further, he even dismissed all the stories about Derek Jeter being Chisholm’s idol.
He said, “That was all [Derek] Jeter doing that. All the talk of Jeter being his idol. It was all ridiculousness. Jazz needed to be traded off this team, and the fact that he was given to the Yankees, whatever happens with the Yankees is fine. He’s not the star; he’s not the center of attention.”
Despite Doubts, Jazz Chisholm Is Delivering For Yankees
Meanwhile, Jazz has already delivered thus far on what the Yankees had envisioned when making the acquisition…defensive versatility, speed, power and energy to the starting lineup.
The power was on full display on Monday night when Chisholm did a power collaboration with MLBbro Aaron Judge, hitting two home runs in a 14-4 blowout win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The partnership took a unique turn as Chisholm actually used Judge’s bat for one of the “Bro Bombs”…
But what matters more than the four baseballs our MLBbro has put in the seats since his arrival has reflected a willingness to sacrifice to help his team win. After helping the Yanks beat the Boston Red Sox over the weekend, Chisholm made it clear that the Yankees can put him anywhere and he’ll take on the challenge.
Via ESPN…
“I could go and play anywhere and help my team win,” Chisholm told reporters after Sunday’s victory over the Red Sox. “For me, it’s just going somewhere. Especially a winning team, and they’re asking me to go somewhere to help them win? I’m definitely gonna go out there and do it.”
Pretty good for a player that not only showed his reflexes here, but handled all of his chances including starting a slick double play on his first opportunity. This from a MLBbro that has…
191 starts in center field
167 starts at second base
46 starts at shortstop
What makes this effort stand out even more is the fact that Gleyber Torres, the current starting Yankees second baseman, has stated he does not want to move to third base despite the fact he leads all second basemen with errors with 14.
Despite the uncertainty of Chisholm’s everyday position in the lineup due to Torres’ unwillingness to switch to the “Hot Corner” and Boone trying to figure things out, Frank Sinatra’s classic, “New York” may have some “Jazz” in it if he keeps hitting multi-homer games with Aaron Judge.
One of the MLBbros that had an eventful night was hometown guy, Marcus Semien. He represented himself, the Texas Rangers and fans as MLBbro.com reporter Malik Wright captured on the field, while predicting a big hit, which Semien came through with.
Impressive for our MLBbro despite the changes going on before the game…
First he batted in an unfamiliar spot in game hitting LAST after leading off the last 316 games for the Texas Rangers.
Then he became a last-minute replacement as starter at second base for Jose Altuve.
He was solid at the plate going 1-2 with a run scored. He was also involved in starting a silky smooth 4-6-3 double play as well.
Texas Rangers Have To Wake Up Over Last 62 Games Of MLB Season
But now it’s back to business as the Texas Rangers find themselves in a division race all of a sudden. Despite being 48-52 as of this writing, the Rangers are only four games behind the AL West-leading Houston Astros. With the combination of both teams on losing streaks and Texas winning two straight…Let the playoff chase start!
A major reason that the Rangers were able to collect their second win was Semien. With the Rangers down 1-0 in the third inning, our MLBbro tied things up with a home run into the left field seats on Monday night…
After suffering through a huge slump just before the All-Star Game, all of a sudden, Semien has found his stroke and is reminding everyone why he is a legitimate force to be reckoned with.
His 14th Bro Bomb extended his on-base streak to 13 games which includes a hitting slash of .313/.431/.542, three homers, two doubles, ten walks, ten runs and seven RBI.
For the Texas Rangers to have a chance to defend their title in 2024, Marcus Semien will have to continue this trend upward on the offensive end. As one of the better defensive second basemen in baseball, he along with Corey Seager will make some serious noise in September. If Texas does find their way back to the World Series, Semien has shown he can rise to the occasion when the lights get bright…
As of this writing, our MLBbro, Marcus Semien is batting .241 with 14 homers (Ranked 55th) and 52 RBI (Ranked 38th) with an OPS of .708 and plenty of time to get hot.
MLBbro pitcher Hunter Greene must have been on cloud nine as one of three representatives (Elly De La Cruz and David Bell being the other two) for the Cincinnati Reds in the annual Midsummer’s Classic, the All-Star Game at Globe Life Field in Arlington Texas on Tuesday night.
Although he gave up the decisive two-run homer to Boston’s Jarren Duran in the fifth inning to take the loss in the American League’s 5-3 win over the NL Greene had already had a week of smelling the roses of his accomplishments and those around him.
“It was a lot of fun and I tried to just enjoy as much as I could the last couple days,” he said. “Obviously, I didn’t want to give up the homer, but I had a great time out there. It’s the best players in the world.”
First, he found out his fellow MLBbro teammate, Rece Hinds took home National League Player of the Week honors. MLBbro.com’s Rob Parker, JR Gamble, Charlie Dunkin and Mailk Wright were on the scene to document Greene’s pride and excitement.
Hunter Greene Loves Giving Back
But what really brings pride to Hunter Greene is giving back and helping kids with the proper tools to follow in his footsteps. Recently our MLBbro sent 115 pairs of free Nike cleats to children in Nigeria, Africa. What’s even more amazing about the accomplishment was the MLB fan base who donated money to cover the shipping costs.
We did it! 115 pairs of FREE @nike cleats to Nigeria, Africa! S/0 to my SoCal HS Ambassadors, Christopher Woods and Phelan Bucknor as well as my bro. Ethan. Also to all the fans from around the country who raised the shipping cost. Took us 1 year but it got done. A lot to be… pic.twitter.com/OqBgfjmgwG
Seeing that his donations came from Greene’s non-profit, Full Circle Consulting Systems Inc. headed up by his mother, Senta Greene, the practice is starting to expand overseas.
Hunter Greene Did Not Wait to Go Pro to Start Giving Back!
When Hunter played for the minor league Louisville Bats in 2021, he gave away 3,000 pairs of cleats to local children and high school players in the Los Angeles area.
His statement to CBS LA showed that this was not going to be a one-time thing…
“I’m doing this because I have the platform to be able to give back,” Greene told CBS LA (Nov. 27, 2021). “It’s important to spread the love, be able to provide kids with the best resources, the best equipment. Especially with the pandemic and COVID last year, it was really hard for families to put money together and get the best of the best for their children. If I can help with that and make the kids feel special, that’s the ultimate goal. And I’m happy and proud to do that.”
He also donated baseball equipment to a youth baseball program called the Kentucky Diamonds, who provided sports opportunities for youth minorities that would not be able to afford them.
Hunter Greene Donated to the Castaic Baseball Program in 2023
Our MLBbro is a Santa Clarita native, so he had to be beaming with pride when the Castaic Coyotes baseball program won the CIF championship in only its second season in existence.
Soon after the team won the 2023 championship, Greene donated two pairs of Nike cleats to each of the players on the team. The $12,000 donation was needed at the time as the long season wore out the current pairs.
Diego Spross at the time was grateful for the cleats and more importantly the experience passed on via “The Signal”.
“We saw all the stuff about us in the news and now the shoes we’re receiving from Hunter Greene,” Spross said. “It’s just a blessing because it means that all the hard work that we put into the team and fighting for the (SCV), fighting for everything, now it’s paying off. We’re getting a lot of notice out here and it’s just a great feeling.”
“Thank you so much Hunter Greene,” Spross said. “Thank you for always being there for us. I remember that time he came out and practiced with us. The whole practice he was teaching us drills for pitching and talking a lot to the pitchers. He was amazing.”
Hunter Greene’s generosity has been covered throughout the season and it seems that his excellence off the field runs parallel with his All-Star level pitching. His annual bobblehead giveaway to high school students has turned into a big success.
D's to C's, C's to B's, B's to A's
If you're an elementary or high school student who has improved in your classroom grades (core classes only) then this FREE miniature bobblehead is a gift from me to you. The first 10 to privately inbox me with proof and address will receive… pic.twitter.com/ds1Gnl40uL
Major League Baseball is trying its best to dominate the headlines to finish out July. Next week, the All-Star Game will feature six MLBbros (Mookie Betts is out with an injury), showcasing to the World the special additive of athleticism, speed and power these players have worked so hard to expose to baseball fans over the past few seasons.
But after the midsummer festivities, the front offices will be back to work full bore as the trade deadline takes over all media coverage on July 30th. One Bro that will be at the top of teams’ wishlist at the end of the month is Jazz Chisholm Jr. According to Craig Mish of the Miami Herald, the Marlins are believed by many to be looking for trade options for Jazz.
“Chisholm has put together his healthiest season to date, producing at the top of the lineup, and teams are taking notice,” Mish wrote. “Believe it or not, this is the first time there has been genuine interest in Chisholm as injuries and his personality have kept other clubs wondering what they would get in return.”
One of those teams near the top of the list is the New York Yankees who reportedly are discussing bringing in this Bro who can play multiple positions — particularly the infield where the Yanks struggle.
But there’s more to Chisholm’s bounceback season without the injuries that have stunted his progress since his All-Star season in 2022…
Chisholm through July 8th has produced a career high on base percentage of .326 and his 10.9 percent of barreled batted balls places him in the 77th percentile of MLB hitters.
He also has the unique combination of raw athleticism and power.
However, the advanced stats are intriguing as his metrics in hard-hit rate, chase rate, strikeout rate and average exit velocity are below average.
But Chisholm’s ability to stay on the field (he suited up for 87 of the first 90 games this season) after coming back from a stress fracture in his back, shoulder, toe, oblique and knee injuries in 2023 is why he is coveted.
Now that Miami is going through yet another change of direction with a fire sale coming, which would include another Bro, Josh Bell, Jazz is their top asset to move.
Now, About This Personality Thing…
As stated by Craig Mish earlier, Jazz Chisholm’s personality is considered by some to be a concern. He’s not the only one to report this. MLB Network discussed it as well…
Many fans of the Marlins push back hard here.
There was a time when Chisholm’s play was celebrated. Not only was he playing well before the injuries, but social media and the gaming world was following him. No one offers chip and dip commercials to players with no talent. I’m just sayin’…
The only thing the Yankees have to consider is that Jazz Chisholm has been in the outfield since 2022. If they use him in the infield, he needs reps ASAP. Other than that, his personality, play and attention-grabbing energy could help save the Yankees from imploding altogether this season.
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