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Travis Kelce is arguably the greatest tight end in football at the moment, a first-ballot Hall of Famer whenever he decides to hang up his cleats. He's been a phenomenal football player for a decade, but there's a reality where he took his talents to the MLB. He was a once promising high school player who actually got scouted by MLB teams.
Michael Bricker was a scout for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox who had evaluated NBA legend Michael Jordan, who famously had a foray into the MLB world with middling results.
Bricker had this to say after scouting Kelce via The Athletic:
“Had pro tools. He had a major-league arm, major-league speed. He fielded the ball well and hit for power. The only tool that would remain to be seen would be hitting for average. He could really square up a fastball and hit it a long way.”
Kelce struggled to hit breaking balls, though. He also had a general disdain for laying down a bunt:
“He didn’t like the bunt sign. He liked to shake that one off.”
Kelce ultimately opted for the NFL, following in his brother Jason Kelce's footsteps. Now, he's a two-time Super Bowl champion who is absolutely headed to the Hall of Fame after he retires.
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Travis Kelce could have been an MLB Star
Making it in the MLB is admittedly pretty hard. Even the best prospects never pan out and they fizzle out in the minor leagues. It would have been difficult for Travis Kelce to make it, but he might have.
Reggie Sanders, who scouted for the Atlanta Braves from 2002 to 2007, said that he also scouted the NFL star and believed he had the tools:
"He seemed like a big leaguer on a field of high school players. He looks almost the same size today as he was in high school. I remember writing his report and I comped him to Josh Hamilton.
Kelce used those tools on the gridiron rather than the diamond, though. The rest is history.
