BRADY WAS IN DOC’ S DRAFT YEAR
Gord Ash was asked what else he remembered about the 1995 MLB draft — the year the Blue Jays selected Hall of Fame righthander Roy Halladay.
“It was the Tom Brady draft!” said Ash, who was the Toronto GM at the time.
Brady will lead the New England Patriots into battle at the Super Bowl on Feb.
3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta — the 10th time the San Mateo, Calif., native has marched the Patriots on to the field for the NFL’s biggest prize. Brady is already a five-time Super Bowl champion with the Pats. He is a 14 time Pro Bowler and considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
But back in 1995, the year the Jays picked Halladay 17th overall, the now-defunct Montreal Expos were hoping to convince Brady to play baseball. A three-sport star at Serra High School, Brady hit .311 with eight home runs, 11 doubles, and 44 RBIs in two years of varsity baseball. He was a left-handed hitting catcher with power and the Expos drafted him in the 18th round, paying him money typical of a second- or thirdround pick as they believed he had a high ceiling. They even flew Brady to Montreal for a tour, but in the end he chose to play college football for the University of Michigan Wolverines and was drafted by the Patriots in 2000 with the 199th overall pick.
It will never be known how good Brady might have been as a baseball player, but it’s quite obvious he picked the right sport as a professional.