Saying Russell Wilson won’t be resting on his laurels would be putting it mildly.
According to CBS Sports, the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks quarterback is planning to attend spring training with the Texas Rangers when position players report for camp on Feb. 19.
Wilson, a second baseman, was selected by the Rangers in the Rule 5 draft in December after being left unprotected by the Colorado Rockies. Wilson previously played in the Rockies’ farm system for two seasons but never got above Single-A. While in the Rockies’ farm system, Wilson hit .229 with five homers and 26 RBIs.
Even prior to that, he was originally drafted by Baltimore in the 41st round of the 2007 MLB draft. Wilson never played for the Orioles, opting to attend college instead, first at North Carolina State, before ultimately transferring to Wisconsin.
On Sunday, he and his Seahawks easily bested Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium 43-8, with the 25-year-old Wilson completing 18-of-25 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns while leading the franchise to its first ever Super Bowl win.
“We’ve been relentless all season,” a jubilant Wilson told ESPN as he and his teammates joyously walked off the field following their demolition of the Broncos. “Having that mentality of having a championship day every day. At the end of the day, you want to play your best football and that is what we did today.”
If nothing else, the Rangers are hoping Russell Wilson might be able to provide that level of spark to their charges. The Rangers made back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011, coming up short each time, and have been early October flameouts the last two seasons.
During the offseason, the team acquired slugging first baseman Prince Fielder from the Detroit Tigers in hopes he might be able to help the franchise finally get over the hump.
Now, having Wilson around, no matter how short-lived it might prove to be, certainly can’t hurt the cause.
