Baseball shaped the lives of both Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy. Here’s how
In an alternate universe, quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy would be facing off in the World Series, not Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Both NFL stars are the sons of former pitchers and had their own baseball careers before choosing to commit to football.
Pat Mahomes spent 11 seasons in the major leagues, and Shawn Purdy pitched in the minor leagues for eight seasons.
The senior Mahomes was drafted by the Minnesota Twins out of high school in the sixth round of the 1988 draft and made his major league debut for the team in 1992, according to Baseball Reference. He eventually spent time with the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Did Patrick Mahomes play baseball growing up?
If Pat Mahomes had it his way, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback would be pitching or playing shortstop in a Game 7.
When Patrick Mahomes was a sophomore in high school, his father encouraged him to quit football and focus on baseball, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The younger Mahomes spent his childhood trying to hit off soft pitches from Alex Rodriguez and hanging out with Derek Jeter in the dugout, not playing catch with Steve Young and Joe Montana.
But before he could follow his dad’s wishes and commit to baseball, Patrick Mahomes’ mother, Randi Mahomes, intervened and encouraged her son to pray before making the decision.
“His mom had a talk with him and told him that if he did quit, he would regret it, because he wouldn’t be on that field with the guys,” Pat Mahomes told the Los Angeles Times. “She told him to pray on it and think hard about what he wanted to do, and God would give him the answers. I guess God told him to keep on playing.”
Related
Did Patrick Mahomes almost play professional baseball?
Mahomes’ decision to stick with football didn’t immediately close the door on a potential professional baseball career.
The Detroit Tigers drafted Mahomes as a pitcher out of high school in the 37th round of the 2014 MLB draft, according to Baseball Reference. He went on to play baseball for Texas Tech for one season as a pitcher and designated hitter.
As a pitcher, he only played in one game, giving up three runs and walking two batters, before quitting the sport. As a designated hitter, he had two at bats and struck out in one of them.
Though his son’s baseball career was shorter than he would have liked, Pat Mahomes believes his son’s years of playing baseball have made him the elite quarterback he is today.
“You can tell by the way Patrick plays quarterback that he took pieces of his basketball, the jump throws and no-look passes, and pieces of his baseball, the different arm angles, and he put it all together in a package in football,” he told the Los Angeles Times.
Did Brock Purdy’s dad play major league baseball?
Shawn Purdy’s baseball career was very different than Pat Mahomes’ career.
The pitcher was drafted four times — in 1987, 1989, 1990 and finally 1991 by the Los Angeles Angels in the 16th round, per Baseball Reference. In baseball, if a player doesn’t sign with the team that drafted him, he can be drafted again.
He started his career with the Angels-affiliated Boise Hawks, and he pitched in and won the Northwest League championship in his first season. After Boise, Purdy bounced around the minor leagues, making stops in Phoenix, Palm Springs, California, and Richmond, Virginia, according to The Athletic.
He almost had a chance to make the jump to the majors while with the Phoenix Firebirds, an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, and then in the following season with the Richmond Braves, an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.
But the Giants traded for three players and no longer needed to call Shawn Purdy up, and elbow pain derailed him from suiting up for Atlanta, The Athletic reported.
Following elbow surgery, Shawn Purdy chose to focus on his pool business and family, instead of baseball, even after his elbow healed.
Related
Steve Young and Brock Purdy sat down to talk about football. They focused on faith instead
Why Steve Young thinks Brock Purdy is the Luke Skywalker or Indiana Jones of the NFL
Did Brock Purdy play baseball growing up?
Following in his dad’s footsteps, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy played baseball for several years before choosing to focus on football.
He was a middle infielder but quit after his sophomore season of high school, according to The Athletic. He believes his baseball background has helped him as a quarterback.
“Definitely baseball I feel like throughout the years and growing up and stuff to help me make those kind of arm slots and things like that,” Brock Purdy told reporters when discussing a side-arm throw he made in January 2023.
The decision to quit seems to have paid off for both Brock Purdy and Patrick Mahomes.
The two will lead their teams in the Super Bowl on Sunday with Patrick Mahomes looking for his third Super Bowl ring and Brock Purdy looking for his first in his second season.
