Patrick Mahomes was so good at baseball he was in MLB draft before NFL glory (2024)

Patrick Mahomes threw a brilliant no-hitter and struck out 16 batters in a baseball game.

So it's easy to imagine the reigning Super Bowl champion in an alternate reality, with Mahomes following his father's footsteps into Major League Baseball and starring on the diamond instead of the NFL.

While MLB opens its full 2024 season on Thursday following the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres appearance in a two-game Seoul Series, football is obviously Mahomes' true professional calling.

He's a six-time Pro Bowler, has won two league MVPs, and has already won three Super Bowls at 28-years-old.

With Tom Brady out of the league, Mahomes has become the new face of the NFL and guided the Kansas City Chiefs to a modern dynasty.

But Mahomes was so good at baseball that he hit 95 mph on a radar gun while pitching on the mound, and also went 3-for-4 with a home run, double and three RBIs at the plate.

A baseball signed by Mahomes during his high school days in Texas could fetch $10,000 at an auction.

Factor in that Mahomes' father, Pat, played in MLB for 11 years as a pitcher, and it's easy to understand why baseball and Mahomes are often attached on social media.

Before former Welsh rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit was trying to switch sports and make the Chiefs' 2024 roster, Mahomes was a three-sport star in high school, balancing football, baseball and basketball.

Pat's son was so talented on the diamond that he was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 37th round of the 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft, despite barely playing the sport at Texas Tech.

That slot could have climbed to the first round if Mahomes had solely focused on baseball in college at Texas Tech.

Instead, Mahomes was eventually surrounded by Andy Reid, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.

“He grew up in the clubhouse, he was always around the game, and he was always the best player on his baseball team,” Mahomes’ father told the Los Angeles Times. “He was an unbelievable shortstop, he always led his team in hitting, and he threw 97 mph on the mound, so I always thought he was gonna be a baseball player.”

Mahomes also excelled on the hardwood, leading his high school basketball team to a 28-7 record while averaging 19 points and eight rebounds a game.

He once scored 49 points in the playoffs, while being named All-East Texas Most Valuable Player.

But it was hardball where Mahomes really could have made a mark in the pros.

Mahomes was so close to the game as a child that he took a photo with New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter on the field.

Video also exists of a polished teenage Mahomes striking out batter after better on the mound.

Pat was 42-39 with six teams, posting an unimpressive 5.47 career ERA but also striking out 452 batters.

Pat's major league talent shined in 1999 with the New York Mets, when he went 8-0 with a 3.68 ERA in 39 games (no starts) while posting a sharp 1.27 WHIP.

Mahomes' father also played for the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs after being drafted by the Twins in the sixth round in 1988.

Mahomes' cannon of an arm and tendency to throw a football sideways like a shortstop can be traced to his younger baseball days.

By the time that he was starring at Texas Tech on the gridiron, the NFL and MLB prospect was forced to make a career choice.

Mahomes loved baseball and had real pro talent.

But the native of Tyler, Texas had generational talent on the football field.

So Mahomes cut out one sport and left baseball behind following his sophom*ore year.

"Not many college athletes have the privilege to play multiple sports at this level," Mahomes said in a 2016 statement. "Moving forward, after speaking with my family following the bowl game, I feel it is in my best interest to concentrate solely on football and academics this spring.

"I know great things await the baseball program this season and I will be rooting them on every chance I get."

It was obviously the right decision for the future two-time Super Bowl MVP.

As a football junior, he passed for a stunning 5,052 yards and threw 41 touchdowns.

With Mahomes rising on Reid's radar, the Chiefs traded up to take the Texas Tech QB at No. 10 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.

There was no looking back for the sharp-armed son of a former MLB pitcher.

Seven years after being drafted in the NFL, Mahomes won his third Super Bowl ring and built a dynasty with Kansas City.

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