Patrick Mahomes could have been baseball's next great star.
That shouldn't come as a surprise. The budding superstar quarterback for the Chiefs is a genetic freak, after all, and pro sports are in his bloodline: His father, Pat Mahomes, was a veteran MLB pitcher and was drafted in the sixth round of the 1988 MLB Draft. The elder Mahomes spent 11 seasons pitching in the big leagues but never quite lived up to the top-talent billing, throwing to a 5.47 ERA while spending time with the Twins, Red Sox, Mets, Pirates, Rangers and Cubs.
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But the younger Mahomes is in a class of athlete by himself: We've seen what he can do with a football on the field with 300-pound defensive linemen barreling down on him, but long before he was taken No. 10 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, he was prepping the be a second-generation baseball star.
Patrick Mahomes' baseball career
Mahomes was a three-sport athlete in high school: He was a top recruit in both football and baseball, with basketball his third sport. As a pitcher for Whitehouse High School in Texas, Mahomes boasted a mid-90s fastball with the makings of a plus curveball which is, well, pretty good, to say the least. It's rare to find players who throw with that much controlled velocity coming out of high school.
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Mahomes was also an outfield prospect who boasted raw power, some of which you can see in this video:
As an upper-tier prospect in the 2014 MLB Draft, Mahomes could have gone relatively high, but his strong commitment to attending Texas Tech University — and his love for football — warded off teams, and he took a sizeable drop in the draft.
But the Tigers decided to take a chance on Mahomes, drafting him in the 37th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. It was a low-risk, high-reward pick — Mahomes didn't sign, and he honored his commitment to Texas Tech, where he went on to play football.
Mahomes' baseball days weren't yet finished: He continued to play baseball during his first year at the university, though he appeared in just three games with the Red Raiders. Mahomes had no hitts in two at-bats and gave up three earned runs as a reliever in those three games. He would leave the baseball team before his sophomore year, as he wanted to focus solely on football.
Patrick Mahomes' no-hitter
But there was probably no clearer indication of the potential in Mahomes' right arm than in March 2014, when his Whitehouse High School faced off against Mount Pleasant. It was a spectacle for a few different reasons.
Mahomes, a top baseball recruit, threw a no-hitter and struck out 16 batters in a 2-1 victory. The only run Mount Pleasant would scratch across on Mahomes was via a wild pitch, which was preceded by two walks and a sac bunt. (Don't bunt, kids. Home runs get you paid.)
But Mahomes wasn't the only future MLB talent in the game: In the opposite dugout, future MLB hurler Michael Kopech took the ball for Mount Pleasant. Kopech was known as a nasty fireballer himself, throwing as high as 98 mph, and would be drafted by the Red Sox in the 2014 MLB Draft, a first-round pick. Later, Kopech would be part of the package that sent Chris Sale to Boston.
But Mahomes wouldn't be done for the day: That night, Whitehouse played against Princeton High School, and Mahomes would go 3 for 4 with a double, a home run and three RBIs in the contest. He finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
