Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is in camp with the Yankees, and Aaron Judge couldn’t resist the opportunity for some good-natured ribbing.
Russell Wilson was a Super Bowl champion years before Aaron Judge played his first MLB game. Far from intimidated, the New York Yankees outfielder shared some comically harsh advice with the Seattle Seahawks star.
According to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, Judge was caught a bit off guard by Wilson’s all-out effort in camp.
“I was like, ‘Hey man, you’re a quarterback. You ain’t a baseball player! Just take it easy,’” the 26-year-old slugger told Hoch. “But that’s how he is, and how he prepares. He wants to prepare like he’s going in the game. That’s how professionals do it.”
Wilson, who played college baseball at North Carolina State, was a fourth-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies in 2010. He spent two years at single-A, playing second base and slashing .229/.354/.356 with 5 homers and 19 stolen bases.
He was already an established NFL star when the Texas Rangers acquired him in the 2013 Rule 5 draft. The Yankees traded for the six-time Pro Bowler in 2018, and this is his second spring in pinstripes.
The 30-year-old threw for 35 touchdowns and 3,448 yards in the 2018-2019 NFL season. Therefore, he’s not turning to baseball any time soon.
Still, spending a few days as a Bomber is a meaningful experience for the quarterback.
“I don’t want to be a distraction,” Wilson told Hoch. “ … Just to have the honor to wear the pinstripes is really why I’m here.”
Wilson’s one MLB spring training at-bat was a strikeout in 2018 with the Yankees. However, if he continues his hard work in practice, he may earn another shot in a game.
Then he can show Aaron Judge that he really is a baseball player and not merely one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
