Russell Wilson continues to hold on to his baseball dreams.
The Seahawks quarterback was back on the diamond Saturday morning, joining the Texas Rangers at their spring training base in Arizona for the second-consecutive year. Wilson turned double plays with other Rangers second basemen and took live batting practice, an activity he passed on last year. Wilson, who hit five homers in 379 minor league plate appearances, cleared the fence with one swing.
"I haven't swung a bat in about two years," Wilson said, according to The Seattle Times. "I lasered one out in left-center field. That was good. I stayed back and was able to drive it to left-center. It feels good hitting a home run. There's something special about throwing a touchdown, because it's so hard to get touchdowns, but getting a home run is a good feeling too."
Wilson has never let go of his dream of playing in Major League Baseball. He was drafted twice -- once out of high school by the Baltimore Orioles and again after college by the Colorado Rockies. The Rangers acquired his rights in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 draft in 2013.
The result is a win-win for both parties. The Rangers get to be in business with one of the most popular and successful quarterbacks in the NFL and Wilson gets to stay connected to a sport for which he has obvious fondness.
ESPN's Pedro Gomez asked Wilson if he would ever slam the door on a return to professional baseball.
"Never say never, I would say."
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