Russell Wilson wants to try and match longballs with the Yankees’ latest dynamic duo.
Wilson will be reporting to Yankees camp Monday after his rights were traded to New York by the Rangers earlier in the offseason. The Seahawks quarterback played minor league baseball when he was younger, and has attended Rangers camp before. He’ll likely just go through drills with the Yankees and sit on the bench for a few games.
That doesn’t mean he’s not up for a challenge. Wilson took to Instagram on Thursday and said he wants to swing for the fences with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.
“Hey New York City, I’m here, I’ve got the Yankees hat on and I’m heading to spring training on Monday,” Wilson said in a short video posted on social media. “I can’t wait to see you guys Feb 26 and have some fun that week. Hey Aaron Judge, I know you want to throw some long passes, so let’s play some ball. We’ll have a little home run derby too.
“Stanton, I’m coming for you too. Let’s have some fun. And hey, let’s go win a World Series. Why not?”
While Seahawks fans might get more excited about the possibility of Judge or Stanton catching passes from Wilson than Yankees fans would be about Wilson trying to make the majors, general manager Brian Cashman is a big fan and said there will be tangible benefits to having the quarterback around.
“We’ve admired Russell’s career from afar for quite some time,” Cashman said. “This is a unique opportunity for us to learn from an extraordinary athlete who has reached the pinnacle of his profession.’’