Most people who follow the NFL know Patrick Mahomes is a junior. His dad, Pat Mahomes was a pretty good baseball player. He pitched eleven years in the big leagues for the Twins, Red Sox, Mets. Rangers, Cubs and Pirates.
When your dad pitches in the big leagues you have no choice but to be around the game. You run on the field, you go in the clubhouse and you attend more than just a few games. It’s also likely that you pick up a ball and try to pitch, like dad.
5-year old Patrick Mahomes shagging fly balls with Mike Hampton during BP at 2000 World Series pic.twitter.com/a75fqRwfB7
— 1970s Baseball (@70sBaseball) January 16, 2019
Mike Hampton was asked about that picture this week as that five year old prepares for another Super Bowl appearance.
Hampton imagined Mahomes being a shortstop like Derek Jeter or an outfielder like Ken Griffey Jr. Hampton called Mahomes “a real baseball player at 5 years old.”
Better than he says
“I wish I would have been a little bit better at baseball but I think it all worked out with football. I grew up loving baseball. I still love it.”
The fact is the younger Mahomes was pretty good with a baseball in his hands and not to shabby with a bat in his hands as well. His fastball clicked well into the 90s from sixty feet, six inches.
In one high school game, Mahomes threw a no-hitter with 16 strikeouts while going 3 for 4 at the plate and nearly hit for the cycle. He outdueled a future big leaguer in that one!
Never Forget when Patrick Mahomes threw a no-hitter while striking out 16 batters in High School and Michael Kopech ended up as the losing pitcher 😳 pic.twitter.com/anECjmHoka
— Baseball (@mlbelites_) January 28, 2022
He was a first team Class 4A all state selection by the Texas Sports Writers’ Association and was eventually drafted in the thirty-seventh round by the Detroit Tigers.
Ultimately Mahomes started to leave baseball behind at Texas Tech. He played one season for the Red Raiders’ baseball team. He had just two at-bats as a pinch hitter and made one appearance as a relief pitcher.
ARod’s Bad advice
Baseball great Alex Rodriguez, another teammate of Mahomes’ dad tried to steer Patrick toward the National pastime:
“I remember saying, ‘Patrick, there is no future in football. You are a baseball player,'” Rodriguez said in an old interview he posted to Instagram. “Man, am I glad he didn’t listen to me.”
Plenty of football fans wish he had, there would be a few more teams with Super Bowl championships as Mahomes refuses to share them as an NFL star.
