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Who was that legendary player who tore it up at Serra High School? The one with the flawless left-handed swing and impressive power? The one scouts identified as a future superstar? Wait, are you thinking of Barry Bonds, from the class of '82? Because I'm talking about Tom Brady, who graduated 13 years later and almost followed in Bonds' footsteps to the big leagues. As we all know, that didn't happen and Brady ended up becoming the most decorated quarterback in NFL history. But there was a time when it seemed Brady was going to be a professional baseball player, before his love for football and his desire to see how far he could go in that sport became too great. And before we begin, guys, don't
forget to subscribe to the channel, like the video, and leave a comment. It is your support that allows us to tell stories like this. Well, although Brady ended up abandoning a career in Major League Baseball to pursue his dreams in American football, it was something unexpected. At that time, baseball had a stronger following in their area of Northern California than American football. Furthermore, Brady ended up attending a baseball powerhouse like Serra High School, which previously produced not only Bonds, but also MLB All-Stars Jim Fregosi and Greg Jefferies. And while it's true that the 49ers had the Bay Area excited about football while Brady was growing up, the Giants were also a must-see team when Brady was entering his teens
. In 1989, when Brady was 12 years old, the Giants won their first National League pennant in more than a quarter of a century. And 4 years later, when Brady was in high school, Bonds, the then two- time National League MVP whom Brady and his teammates described as a god, signed as a free agent with San Francisco. Ultimately, baseball was Brady's first love, and he was good at it. In fact, by his own admission, he was a better baseball player than a football player in his early teens. What do you think makes a good baseball player? Do Actually, when Brady arrived at Serra, he had never played organized football. Just backyard contact football and stuff like that. I didn't even know how to put on shoulder pads. However, he made the
freshman team despite that, but Brady did not participate in a single play for a team that finished with 0 wins and 8 losses. He wasn't good enough to have a chance on a team that didn't win a single game. The story was different on the baseball diamond, because Brady was a ballplayer, a left-handed catcher who knew how to hit and, as expected, had a powerful arm. As his high school teammate told Sports Illustrated in 2017: "His ball was so straight. It always came right in line. He didn't have to jump or anything. It was always pretty easy to catch." And Brady also had all the intangible qualities one would expect. He was a student of strategy and knew exactly when and how to talk to his pitchers if they were in trouble. As
he moved from the youth team to the major league team, Brady's skills on the diamond began to attract the attention of MLB scouts. In his two years on the major league team, Brady batted.311 with eight home runs, 11 doubles and 44 RBIs in 61 games. And in his final year, he was not only appointed captain, but also received honors from the entire district. And its power was on another level. Once, during a playoff game, Brady hit a home run so long that it crashed into the team bus parked beyond the right field fence and woke up the driver who was sleeping inside. But when John Hughes, then a scout for the Montreal Expos, went to San Mateo to see Brady, he was impressed not only by his tools, but by his aura. As Hughes told Sportsnet in 2021: "He
just had a special air about him. He seemed like he belonged in a major league locker room because of the way he carried himself. He was genuine. He just had that presence." Apparently, Brady had everything to be a future MLB All-Star. There was only one problem. He had become really good at American football during his high school career; really good. You see, after his unpromising rookie season, Brady grew to 6'4" as a sophomore, took over as the starting quarterback of the junior team, led the team to the championship, and never stopped improving. As a starter for two years on the main team, Brady threw for more than 3,500 yards and 33 touchdowns, inscribing his name in
Serra's record books and cementing himself as one of Northern California's most exciting quarterback prospects 5:18 to play. There's still plenty of time left in this football match. Needless to say, the main university programs were interested. Okay, I'm a college coach. I haven't seen any of your videos. I don't know anything about you. Tell me about Tom Brady, the quarterback. What are your strengths? My strengths? Well, everyone tells me I have a pretty strong arm, which is, well, good. I'm quite precise with it. And uh, I think I need to work a little on my speed, but
hopefully that will come with time. I have a pretty good work ethic, so I think I can do the job. Brady's father had actually sent a recruiting video to more than 50 schools after his son's junior season. And after Tom shone as a senior, the calls started pouring in. Eventually, Brady narrowed his potential destinations down to three California schools: Cal Berkeley, UCLA, and USC, in addition to Illinois and Michigan. And in early 1995, as his high school career was coming to an end, Brady made his decision. That January, Brady committed to the University of Michigan, wanting to play against the best possible competition and having been impressed by the Big House's aura during his visit to the campus. But wait a
second, because baseball wasn't over for him. That spring, as the MLB draft approached, Brady attended a workout for top prospects at the Kingdome in Seattle. And he put on a show, hitting multiple home runs in batting practice with a wooden bat. According to his former high school coach, he also had the best arm of everyone present, a group that included several college baseball players. He was a real talent, and when the MLB draft came around a couple of months later, Brady did indeed hear his name called. In the 18th round, the Expos selected Brady with the 507th overall pick, betting on the kid that Montreal's general manager later said could have been one of the greatest receivers in history. Why did he fall so low, you ask, if he was
so talented? Because Brady had fallen madly in love with American football. He was clearly leaning towards Michigan and wanted to see if he could play quarterback at the highest level of the game. Even so, the Expos tried to dissuade him. The club offered him an attractive signing bonus to give up college football and commit to professional baseball. A bonus that Hughes considered close to the money of the end of the second round or the beginning of the third. Not only that, but the Expos invited Brady to a workout at Candlestick Park that summer while passing through San Francisco, presumably hoping to sway him toward a life in baseball. They gave him a uniform, took him out to take batting practice on the field, and had him do
some defensive drills with the rest of the Expos. But the team's plan backfired After practice, Brady chatted with some of the guys, including future All-Star Rondell White and fellow Californian FP Santangelo. And they told the boy, bluntly, to go to college and play American football. As Santangelo later recalled, "We were like, 'Why make $800 a month in the minor leagues when you can be the quarterback at the University of Michigan?' And Brady took that advice to heart. In the end, he said ' thanks, but no thanks' to the Expos, honored his commitment to Michigan, and dedicated himself fully and completely to football. And we can safely say he has no regrets.
He became Michigan's QB1 in his junior year, was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 draft, and earned his first Super Bowl ring less than two years later. Over the next two decades and more, he amassed the most untouchable résumé in NFL history: seven Super Bowl titles, five Super Bowl MVP awards, 15 Pro Bowl selections, three MVP awards, plus the all-time records for passing yards and touchdowns. Not bad. Now, could he have had a similarly monumental career in Major League Baseball? Well, It depends on who you ask. Again, the Expos' general manager thought he could have been an all-time great, but Brady himself said in 2022 that if he had stuck with baseball and
signed with Montreal, he would have ended up selling insurance for a living. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course, but I guess Brady, who is now widely considered the greatest football player of all time, is happy with his choice. Thanks for watching the video. If you like what you see, hit the subscribe button and turn on notifications. And for more cool videos like this, be sure to follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X.
