Former scout says Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce could've been an MLB player: "He seemed like a big leaguer on a field of high school players"
Travis Kelce is best known for being arguably the greatest tight end of all time. He holds numerous records and is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame whenever he retires. A former Atlanta Braves scout believes that the Hall of Fame berth could have been with a different sport.
Speaking to TMZ Sports, Reggie Sanders, who scouted for the Braves from 2002 to 2007, said:
"He seemed like a big leaguer on a field of high school players. He looks almost the same size today as he was in high school. I remember writing his report and I comped him to Josh Hamilton."
For reference, Kelce is 6-foot-5 and weighs 250 pounds, so he would be one of the most imposing forces in a batter's box.
Ultimately, Kelce followed his older brother's path, played football and became quite good at it. On top of his potential Hall of Fame career, he'll be playing for his second Super Bowl title next weekend, with his brother on the opposing sidelines.
That hasn't stopped Kelce from getting involved with baseball. He does celebrity events and other things and even once joked that he was moving on from the NFL to pursue baseball with the Chicago Cubs, saying on Instagram:
"I've idolized MJ since I was a young athlete, while basketball wasn't my path, I've decided to follow in his steps in a different way. I’m officially announcing that I will be stepping away from football to pursue my childhood dreams in the MLB with the Cubs. To Chiefs Kingdom , Thank You for your love. See you on the Field of Dreams."
Obviously, this didn't happen, but it does at least remind Sanders of what could have been.
Have other athletes been tabbed as future stars in other sports like Travis Kelce?
In high school, very few athletes were single sports experts, much like Travis Kelce. He was obviously quite good at baseball and football and made a choice.
Another excellent example of that is Aaron Judge. The reigning AL MVP was an elite high school basketball, baseball and football player.
Players like Tom Brady, Jameis Winston, Russell Wilson and others even got drafted for both the NFL and MLB.