The big story today is the matchup between Florida State and Auburn on the gridiron which features Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston leading the Seminoles. Winston is an accomplished baseball player in addition to his football skills as he appeared in 41 games (32 starts) with a .235 batting average while driving in nine runs. He made 17 appearances on the bump going 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA while holding hitters to a batting average of .176.
The Texas Rangers drafted Winston out of high school in the 15th round of the 2012 draft but were not able to sign him.
The proposal that the gave Winston is outlined below.
After the 2012 draft, the Rangers proposed having Winston continue to play football for the Seminoles while working one-on-one with instructors the Rangers would send to Tallahassee, Fla. He would have gone to extended spring training in Surprise, Ariz., while FSU was on spring break and spent time with the rookie-level Arizona League team in the summer.
The Rangers brought Winston into Arlington along with other top picks in that draft. Preller was struck by how easily Winston took over the group with his powerful personality.
“Everything was in fun,” Preller said. “But you could see that he knows how to push guys, in a good way.”
The Rangers were undone by the new draft rules that penalize smart clubs and reward the lazy. If a player taken after the first 10 rounds receives a signing payment of more than $100,000, it is subtracted from the club’s bonus pool. The Rangers could have gotten around that by offering a major league contract, but a contender cannot afford to sacrifice a spot on the 40-man roster.
The Rangers are staying in contact with Winston including Clarence Johns II having tickets left for him by Winston at a recent FSU football game.
The Rangers are continuing to keep in touch with Winston because they believe he could be a two sport athlete following in the footsteps of Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson. You can check out the full article by clicking here.
