Renowned actor believed 2017 MVP Giancarlo Stanton was destined to be professional football player: "I thought he was going to the NFL"
At 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, New York Yankees power hitter Giancarlo Stanton towers over most of his teammates. It is safe to assume that with his physique and athletic ability, Stanton could have excelled at any sport he put his mind to.
During his high school days, Stanton was a three-sport athlete at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks. The rising star was already 6-5 during his senior season and represented the baseball, basketball and football team.
According to well-known actor Jimmy Tatro, who also attended Notre Dame at the time, Stanton was light years ahead of his peers. He had the potential to go professional not only as a baseball player, but as a football player as well. tatro said:
"I thought he was going to the NFL."
Tatro was speaking on a recent episode of the Rich Eisen Show.
Will never get enough legendary high school stories about guys like Giancarlo Stanton 💪
(h/t @RichEisenShow)
https://t.co/U3VRCxw0lM
"Will never get enough legendary high school stories about guys like Giancarlo Stanton (h/t @RichEisenShow)" - YES Network
At the time, Tatro believed that the NFL was a realistic possibility for a young Stanton. He was an elite high school wide reciever, safety and apparantly a terrific punter. Tatro said:
"He was a grown man amongst boys in high school."
New York Yankees fans must be relieved that the versatile athlete opted for baseball. The righty slugger has recorded 115 home runs and 310 RBIs over his six-year career with the Bronx Bombers.
Giancarlo Stanton was a three-sport athlete at Notre Dame High School
Prior to being drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 2007 MLB draft, there was a realistic chance that Stanton could have gone down the NFL path. He had commited to play baseball at Tulane, but had football scholarships from UCLA, USC and UNLV. In the end, he opted to sign a contract with the Marlins and head straight to the pros.
Ladies and gents, your 2017 NL #MVP... Giancarlo Stanton! https://t.co/QoLoYhHXEP
"Ladies and gents, your 2017 NL #MVP... Giancarlo Stanton!" - NBC Sports
The decision to select baseball has turned out pretty well for the 33-year-old. He has been selected to the All-Star Game on five occasions and won two Silver Slugger Awards. He was also awarded the prestigious NL MVP trophy in 2017.
In an era where athletes focus on one sport, Stanton chose baseball. It would have been interesting to see how his career could have turned out had he been able to pursue both baseball and football, the way Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders did.