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The most unusual players selected in the MLB Draft
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The most unusual players selected in the MLB Draft

The history of the MLB Draft has included plenty of unusual picks of athletes from other sports and players related to famous people. With the 2020 draft ahead, here's a look at some of the most unusual picks in MLB Draft history.

 
1 of 31

Danny Ainge

Danny Ainge
Mark Halmas / Icon Sportswire

Most known for his career as an All-Star and GM of the Boston Celtics, Ainge was selected in the 15th round of the 1977 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays and played three seasons in MLB. He finished his major league career appearing in 211 games and playing several different positions.

 
2 of 31

Tom Brady

Tom Brady
Matthew Emmons / USA Today Sports Images

Perhaps the greatest NFL quarterback ever, Brady was also drafted out of high school, in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB draft by the Montreal Expos. He opted to play quarterback at Michigan instead, and the rest is history.

 
3 of 31

Matt Cassel

Matt Cassel
Mark Konezny / USA Today Sports Images

Cassel played both football and baseball at USC and was drafted in the 36th round of the 2004 draft by the Oakland Athletics. While Cassel's brother Jack played baseball as a pitcher professionally, Matt opted to pursue football. He was drafted in the seventh round by the New England Patriots the following year and later had a stint as the starting quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs.

 
4 of 31

Kerry Collins

Kerry Collins
WD / Icon Sportswire

Collins was a great starting quarterback at Penn State and was drafted twice by the Detroit Tigers. He was taken in the 26th round out of high school in 1990 and the 60th round the following year. Collins went on to play 17 seasons in the NFL, making two Pro Bowls.

 
5 of 31

Daunte Culpepper

Daunte Culpepper
Chris Keane / Icon Sportswire

A star athlete at Vanguard High School in Ocala, Florida, Culpepper was drafted in the 26th round of the 1995 MLB draft by the New York Yankees. He chose to play quarterback at UCF instead and eventually had an outstanding but abbreviated NFL career, making three Pro Bowls over 11 seasons for the Vikings, Dolphins, Raiders and Lions.

 
6 of 31

Eric Decker

Eric Decker
George Walker IV / USA Today Sports Images

Decker was an outfielder for Minnesota's baseball team as well as a wide receiver for the football team. He was drafted twice in MLB, going in the 39th round to the Brewers in 2008 and the 27th round to the Twins the following year. He failed to sign before being chosen by the Denver Broncos in 2010. Decker played eight NFL seasons, gaining more than 1,000 yards receiving three times.

 
7 of 31

John Elway

John Elway
Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today Sports Images

Elway was drafted twice in MLB: by the Royals in the 18th round of the 1979 draft out of high school and the Yankees in the second round of the 1981 draft out of Stanford. He got a $150,000 contract from the Yankees and used his baseball career as leverage when he was drafted first overall by the Baltimore Colts in the 1983 NFL Draft. He was later traded to the Denver Broncos. Elway did appear in 42 games for the Yankees' short season affiliate Oneonta Yankees. The Hall of Famer is currently the GM of the Broncos.

 
8 of 31

Marshall Faulk

Marshall Faulk
Larry Smith / Icon Sportswire

Faulk had a Hall of Fame NFL career as running back for the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams. Before that though, he was drafted in the 43rd round of the 1993 MLB Draft by the California Angels.

 
9 of 31

Trevor Gretzky

Trevor Gretzky
Michael O'Day / Icon Sportswire

The son of NHL great Wayne Gretzky, Trevor found his success in baseball. The Chicago Cubs opted to select him in the seventh round of the 2011 MLB Draft out of high school. Gretzky failed to garner much momentum as an outfield prospect and went on to play in the Independent Canadian-American Association in 2016 and 2017.

 
10 of 31

Conor Jackson

Conor Jackson
Mark LoMoglio / Icon Sportswire

Jackson played seven MLB seasons after he was drafted 19th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2003. The former first baseman has a famous pedigree, as his father is actor John M. Jackson, who is best known for playing Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden in "JAG."

 
11 of 31

Kyle Long

Kyle Long
Jeff Hanisch / USA Today Sports Images

The son of NFL great Howie Long, Kyle forged his own path as a Pro Bowl guard for the Chicago Bears. Prior to his college career at Oregon, Long was drafted as a pitcher by the Chicago White Sox in the 23rd round of the 2008 MLB Draft.

 
12 of 31

Colin Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick
Robert Hanashiro / USA Today Sports Images

Kaepernick had more high school accolades as a baseball player than a football quarterback but attended Nevada on a football scholarship. He was later drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 43rd round of the 2009 MLB Draft but stuck it out in football, eventually becoming the starting quarterback for the 49ers.

 
13 of 31

Jake Locker

Jake Locker
Greg McWilliams / Icon Sportswire

The Angels drafted Locker twice: in the 46th round in 2006 and the 10th round in 2009. He signed in 2009 but never played for the team. He stuck with football and was drafted eighth overall by the Titans in the 2011 NFL Draft. He played only four seasons in the NFL before retiring.

 
14 of 31

Johnny Manziel

Johnny Manziel
Danny Wild / USA Today Sports Images

Manziel played baseball in high school but never in college, yet he was still selected in the 28th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres, the same year the former Heisman Trophy winner was selected 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns. His NFL career fizzled out after only two seasons.

 
15 of 31

Dan Marino

Dan Marino
Steve Mitchell / USA Today Sports Images

Marino was a star pitcher and quarterback at Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh. The Royals selected Marino in the fourth round in 1979, but he chose to play football at Pitt instead. It was the right decision, as Marino went on to have a Hall of Fame football career with the Miami Dolphins.

 
16 of 31

Steve McNair

Steve McNair
Icon Sportswire

McNair played football, baseball and basketball in high school and was drafted in the 35th round of the 1991 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. He played quarterback at Alcorn State instead before a successful career in the NFL, making three Pro Bowls and winning one MVP over 13 seasons.

 
17 of 31

Matt Moore

Matt Moore
Winslow Townson / USA Today Sports Images

Not to be confused with the current MLB pitcher, the former NFL quarterback was drafted in the 22nd round by the Angels in 2004 out of high school. He played quarterback at Oregon State instead and has played 12 seasons in the NFL.

 
18 of 31

Kyler Murray

Kyler Murray
Steven Bisig / USA Today Sports Images

Murray was a two-sport star at Oklahoma and drafted ninth overall in 2018 by the Oakland A's. Soon after being drafted, Murray won the Heisman Trophy and opted to choose pro football over baseball, going first overall to the Arizona Cardinals the following year.

 
19 of 31

Ken Stabler

Ken Stabler
Zuma Press / Icon Sportswire

A Hall of Fame NFL quarterback, Stabler was drafted in MLB three times, including in the second round by the Astros in 1968. He stuck it out as a quarterback instead and was a Super Bowl winner with the Oakland Raiders.

 
20 of 31

Golden Tate

Golden Tate
Bill Streicher / USA Today Sports Images

Tate was drafted twice in MLB before his NFL career. He went in the 42nd round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Diamondbacks out of high school and was selected in the 50th round by the San Francisco Giants three years later. He did play two seasons of college baseball at Notre Dame but made his mark as an NFL wide receiver.

 
21 of 31

Shaq Thompson

Shaq Thompson
Isaiah J. Downing / USA Today Sports Images

At the conclusion of a successful baseball and football career in high school, Thompson was selected in the 18th round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox. He played 13 games in the Gulf Coast League but hung up his baseball cleats after going 0-for-39 with 37 strikeouts as a center fielder. Thompson had far more success as a linebacker at Washington and was an eventual first-round pick in 2015 by the Carolina Panthers.

 
22 of 31

Trayce Thompson

Trayce Thompson
Winslow Townson / USA Today Sports Images

The son of former NBA player Mychal Thompson and brother of current Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson, Trayce has found his success in baseball. He was a second-round pick of the White Sox in 2009 out of high school and has appeared in the majors over the last four seasons.

 
23 of 31

Michael Vick

Michael Vick
Rich Kane / Icon Sportswire

Vick is known as perhaps the most athletically gifted NFL quarterback ever, but he was also taken in the 30th round of the 2000 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies. But they never had a realistic shot of signing Vick, who hadn't played baseball since eighth grade.

 
24 of 31

Charlie Ward

Charlie Ward
Matt A. Brown / Icon Sportswire

Ward was quite the athlete. He won the 1993 Heisman Trophy as quarterback at Florida State, was drafted twice in MLB and had an 11-year NBA career. He was drafted in the 59th round of the 1993 MLB Draft by the Brewers and the 18th round of the 1994 draft by the Yankees but didn't sign either time.

 
25 of 31

Brandon Weeden

Brandon Weeden
Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today Sports Images

Weeden was taken in the second round of the 2002 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees out of high school. He played five seasons before switching back to football and putting up huge numbers as the starting quarterback at Oklahoma State. The Cleveland Browns drafted him 22nd overall in 2012, but Weeden has been a bust in the NFL.

 
26 of 31

Chris Weinke

Chris Weinke
JL Dykstra / Icon Sportswire

Like Brandon Weeden, Weinke played professional baseball before a successful college career at quarterback. He was taken in the second round of the 1990 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays and played six seasons, making it all the way to Triple-A. He accepted a scholarship to play quarterback at Florida State in 1997 at age 25 and went on to win the 2000 Heisman Trophy. A fourth-round pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2001, Weinke struggled in the NFL and has since had a career in coaching at the NFL and college levels.

 
27 of 31

Ricky Williams

Ricky Williams
Richard C. Lewis / Icon Sportswire

Williams had a way with professional sports drafts. He was taken in the eighth round of the 1995 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies and played four seasons in the low minors before giving up his baseball career to play football full time. After a great career as a running back at Texas, Williams was selected fifth overall by the New Orleans Saints in the 1999 NFL Draft. Saints head coach Mike Ditka famously traded his entire lot of picks in the 1999, plus his first and third-round picks the following year, so that he could draft Williams.

 
28 of 31

Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson
James Snook / USA Today Sports Images

Wilson was twice drafted in MLB before his NFL career. He didn't sign after being taken in the 41st round by the Orioles in 2007 but did sign with the Rockies after they took him in the fourth round in 2010. He struggled to hit in two pro seasons and was eventually drafted in the the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Seahawks. He's made six Pro Bowls and won one Super Bowl in his first seven seasons.

 
29 of 31

Tommy Wilson

Tommy Wilson
Brian de Rivera Simon / Getty Images

The son of actor Tom Wilson, best known for playing Biff Tannen in "Back to the Future," Tommy Wilson was drafted in the 19th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Mets. His pro career is off to a successful start after pitching in college at Cal State Fullerton.

 
30 of 31

Jameis Winston

Jameis Winston
Douglas DeFelice / USA Today Sports Images

At the conclusion of high school, Winston was drafted in the 15th round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers. He attended college instead and won the Heisman Trophy at Florida State while also serving as a relief pitcher for the Seminoles baseball team. Winston was the first overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is now with the Saints.

 
31 of 31

Barry Zito

Barry Zito
John Cordes / Icon Sportswire

Zito had a successful MLB career after he was selected ninth overall by the Oakland A's in the 1999 MLB Draft. He won the 2002 AL Cy Young Award and earned more than $137 million over 15 MLB seasons. The former pitcher also comes from a famous family. His parents performed with Nat King Cole, and his uncle is actor Patrick Duffy, best known for playing Bobby Ewing on "Dallas."

Seth Trachtman is a fantasy sports expert and diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan. He doesn't often Tweet, but when he does, you can find him on Twitter @sethroto.

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