Did Tom Brady ever play baseball?

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady at a Boston Red Sox game
Bill Belichick and Tom Brady at a Boston Red Sox game

Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He has put together the most legendary career the sport has ever seen. It would appear as if he was born to be a football player, but that's not necessarily the case.

In fact, in his youth, he was more successful playing baseball than he was at football.

In an alternate universe, Tom Brady could have been a professional baseball player. That would erase the best career in NFL history.

It will never be known if Tom Brady's same success, or more, could have been replicated in baseball. Perhaps he would have been the next Babe Ruth or, based on position, Johnny Bench.

Tom Brady's baseball "career"

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Boston Red Sox first baseman David Ortiz
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Boston Red Sox first baseman David Ortiz

Before beginning his historic path to becoming an NFL legend, Tom Brady first found success on the baseball diamond instead of the gridiron. He played youth baseball and continued while attending Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, California.

He was a standout player at the high school level.

Tom Brady's primary baseball position was catcher. This is widely accepted as one of the most difficult positions to play in baseball.

It requires skills and toughness because of the extensive requirements of the position. Tom Brady's now notorious dedication and work ethic are probably a big reason why he was successful at it.

Tom Brady appeared in 61 varsity baseball games while attending high school. He played strong defense, which is almost mandatory for any catcher with big-league aspirations, and added solid offensive production as well.

In his 61 games, he hit for a .331 batting average with eight home runs.

To validate how good of a catcher he was in high school, he was selected as an all-star and was a highly rated professional prospect. After graduating, he was selected in the MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos.

He was just 17 years old at the time and already had the option to pursue a professional baseball career.

Tom Brady declined an offer to join the Montreal Expos and instead decided to attend the University of Michigan. He switched his primary sport from baseball to football and pursued the quarterback role.

This decision is the perfect time to use the overused saying, "and the rest is history."

Tom Brady would eventually be drafted by the New England Patriots out of the University of Michigan. With two teams, seven Super Bowl titles, three NFL MVP awards and numerous other accolades, Tom Brady is the most accomplished NFL player of all time.

It appears that switching to football was the right choice, but maybe he would have been even better as an MLB catcher.

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Edited by LeRon Haire