How Good Was Kaepernick At Baseball?
Contents
A lot of people don’t know that Colin Kaepernick was actually a pretty good baseball player before he became a football superstar.
Kaepernick’s High School Baseball Career
Colin Kaepernick, who is now most well-known for his time spent in the NFL as a Quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, actually played high school baseball before he started his football career. He was a pitcher and a shortstop, and was actually quite good. In his senior year, he had a batting average of .412 with 6 home runs, 15 stolen bases, and an ERA of just 1.91. (stats from MaxPreps)
As a pitcher
In high school, Kaepernick was a star pitcher and shortstop for the varsity baseball team. As a junior, he had an earned run average (ERA) of 1.265 and a 11–2 win-loss record, leading his team to the Sierra Nevada Classic championship game. In the championship game, he pitched a complete game shutout while only allowing three hits. As a senior, he compiled a 7–3 record with a 1.687 ERA. He also served as the team’s closer, recording 11 saves. Among the records he set at Pitman were most career strikeouts (251), most strikeouts in a season (130), and best ERA in a season (1.265). He was named first team All-Area by The Modesto Bee three times in his career
As a hitter
In high school, Kaepernick was a right-handed hitting catcher. He batted .417 as a junior and .404 as a senior, with four home runs and 12 doubles his final year. He also had 28 RBIs in 23 games. Statistically, he was one of the best hitters on his team.
Kaepernick’s College Baseball Career
Colin Kaepernick, former NFL quarterback, had a pretty successful college baseball career. He was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2009 but decided to play football for the University of Nevada instead. In his three years playing for the Wolf Pack, he compiled a career batting average of .265 with 10 home runs and 72 RBIs.
As a pitcher
Before he was a Super Bowl quarterback, Colin Kaepernick was a pretty good pitcher at the University of Nevada.
In his senior year, he had a 10-2 win-loss record with a 3.22 ERA, 116 strikeouts, and just 19 walks in 122 innings pitched. He was named the Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year and was drafted in the 43rd round by the Chicago Cubs.
Kaepernick decided to pursue football instead of baseball, and it’s probably for the best given how his career has gone so far.
As a hitter
In his lone season of collegiate baseball, playing for the University of Nevada, Kaepernick batted .2106 (14-for-66) with two home runs and 27 RBI. As a pitcher, he was 2-0 with a 12.63 ERA in five games (three starts). He did not play baseball his senior year, instead concentrating on football.
Kaepernick’s Minor League Baseball Career
Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, decided to pursue a career in baseball after he was released by the team in 2017. He had not played the sport since high school, but he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 25th round of the MLB draft. Kaepernick played for the Cubs’ Class-A affiliate, the Eugene Emeralds, and he then was traded to the Oakland Athletics’ affiliate, the Nashville Sounds.
As a pitcher
Kaepernick was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the second round of the 2009 MLB Draft. He played for two seasons before being released in 2011. In 2012, he signed with the independent San Francisco 49ers of the Golden Baseball League. He played there for one season before signing with Major League Baseball club, the Miami Marlins, in February 2014. He was again released by the Marlins in March 2015.
As a hitter
Kaepernick was not a very good hitter. In his two seasons of professional baseball, he batted .163 with no home runs and no stolen bases.
Conclusion
Kaepernick was not drafted by an MLB team, but he did receive interest from the Chicago Cubs. In 2009, Kaepernick signed a minor league contract with the Cubs and was assigned to their Low-A affiliate, the Boise Hawks. In 2010, he was promoted to theSingle-A Peoria Chiefs.
Kaepernick’s professional baseball career lasted only two seasons. In 36 total games (26 starts), he compiled a 3–7 win–loss record with a 5.63 earned run average (ERA). He gave up 46 runs (earned and unearned) on 97 hits and 53 walks while striking out 84 batters in 81 innings pitched.
