Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, And Now Tracy McGrady To Attempt Professional Baseball Career?
ByIs Tracy McGrady simply trying to trend on Google News?
We know Russell Wilson will attend Rangers spring training camp after being drafted by the team earlier this year. We know Jameis Winston will likely be Florida State's starting closer next year. Now, reports from the Sugar Land Skeeters (or the team Roger Clemens pitched for last season at the age of 50 years old) hint that the former NBA All Pro could play baseball for them next season, USA Today reported.
"Tracy McGrady is one of the most elite athletes of this era and we appreciate his interest in pursuing a life-long dream with the Sugar Land Skeeters and the Atlantic League," read a statement from the Skeeters. "While the Atlantic League is considered the highest level of baseball outside of Major League Baseball, McGrady has demonstrated skill, determination and diligence during his training program at Constellation Field. We look forward to monitoring his progress."
McGrady's Twitter account only fueled the rumors.
"Been working out at Constellation Field w Sugar Land Skeeters. Working on my pitch. Childhood Dream coming true," he tweeted, adding the tags, @SL_Skeeters @AtlanticLg.
Due to injuries, eyes indefinitely in need of coffee, girth added later in his career (even if Spurs black is supposed to be slimming), and the fact that he came straight from high school, McGrady may seem like he's at least 40 years old, but he's actually only 34. That's one year younger than when Jim Morris, who inspired the hit film "The Rookie," first tried out for the Tampa Bay Rays. Of course, Morris had a 98 mph fastball. McGrady's is 91 -- still not bad at all (and the same estimated speed of Jameis Winston's).
Based on most reports, pitcher is the only position McGrady has a chance to play. He points to his height, his still developing fastball, and a supposed arsenal of pitches as assets.
"Well, first of all, you gotta 6-foot-8 guy standing on the mound. Still working on my velo. Command's pretty good. Fastball, splitter, slider, change."
Note to McGrady: "Velo" isn't an abbreviation for velocity in the Big Leagues.
If you think McGrady is simply bored during his first year of retirement, well, maybe he is, but that doesn't mean he's joining the Atlantic League (the independent minor league system in which the Skeeters play) for fun, which, of course, doesn't mean he can't have fun. What I'm trying to say is McGrady is a former professional athlete trying to drop the former from his title. He intends to use the independent league as a spring board into the majors.
"What I want it to turn into is to pursue a professional baseball career," he told Yahoo! Sportson Tuesday. "This is my childhood dream. I don't know where this is going to go, honestly. But I'm committed to it."