28 Feb 2002 : Drew Henson of the New York Yankees during the Spring Training game against the Cincinnati Reds at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida. DIGITAL IMAGE.
Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart/Getty Images

Former football and baseball stud prospect Drew Henson claims he would have been a star had he stayed with the New York Yankees.

Recently, New York Post reporter Joel Sherman asked ex-New York Yankees infielder Drew Henson whether his castoff MLB career could have been successful. Henson took a less-than-humble route in his reply:

“Yes, I do,” Henson told Sherman. “I never took a hitting lesson. My dad’s a football coach and was throwing me batting practice every day and twice on Sundays. I think if I were a baseball player, Kris Bryant and I have the same type of skill set.”

Bryant, the Chicago Cubs’ outstanding third baseman, is a truly lofty comparison. The 28-year-old has been an NL All-Star three times and won NL Rookie of the Year and MVP in his five-year MLB career.

Henson is famous for being simultaneously the star quarterback at the University of Michigan and a “can’t-miss” prospect in the Yankees organization in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Torn between the two sports, he eventually signed a large contract with the Bombers before trying his luck as an NFL backup quarterback.

The 40-year-old said he would have stuck at third base or right field had he persevered in baseball. He also offered a bit of 20/20 hindsight.

“… I wish as a young player I knew what I know now, especially breaking in as a young player with the Yankees,” he admitted to Sherman.

Alas, Henson only ever played in eight MLB games, all with the New York Yankees in 2002 and 2003. He went 1-for-9 with no extra-base hits and no RBIs.

In the minor leagues, he was a .248/.304/.424 hitter, displaying excellent pop with 67 homers in 501 games.

Henson last played professional baseball as a September call-up with the Yanks in 2003. His NFL career spanned nine games and 20 pass attempts.

Freelance editor and writer, and full-time Yankees fan. Originally from Monticello, NY, but now lives in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.