Did Tom Brady ever play for former MLB team Montreal Expos?

Tom Brady will go down as one of the greatest football players in NFL history. In an alternate universe, however, he could have had an MLB career. As the NFL offseason kicks off into full swing, and with Tom Brady officially (but with rumors of a return) retired, there are reported stories of what could have been.

Tom Brady’s scouting report as an MLB prospect

The images of Tom Brady in a Montreal Expos uniform are photoshopped, but the potential for his baseball career was real. As often happens with talented athletes (Kyler Murray, Patrick Mahomes, etc.), MLB teams will draft players to hold their rights in case they ever change their minds about their football career. Michael Jordan famously retired from the NBA and played 13 months in the MLB minor leagues for the Chicago White Sox. The New York Yankees drafted Drew Henson in 1998, and he played for the team from 2002 to 2003. Henson, then, retired and joined the Dallas Cowboys (after being traded from the Houston Texans) where he played in the NFL for the 2004 season.

According to WFTS News (ABC affiliate for Tampa Bay), Tom Brady had a similar beginning to his storied career. While the New England Patriots drafted Tom Brady in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals) drafted Brady in 1995 in the 18th round. Although he never followed through on a baseball career, his high school coach thought Brady’s best sport was baseball.

Former Serra High School (San Mateo, California) baseball coach Pete Jensen offered his thoughts on baseball prospect Tom Brady:

“I thought baseball was his best sport. Tommy hit a home run. He actually hit two that day, but one of them hit the roof of the bus and woke the driver up, kind of startled him.”

Former scout for the Montreal Expos, John Hughes, echoed this sentiment on Brady’s baseball skills:

“First of all, he had good size, 6-4. He had a body we called projectable where he had room to get stronger, add weight. He was a left-handed hitter which went nice with the catching position. He had some tools. He could really throw and he had power. For a catcher, he had those things and stood out.”

As reported by WFTS news, Brady was considered a second-round baseball prospect, but many teams expected him to enroll in the University of Michigan to play college football. For this reason, the Expos drafted him in the 18th round, in case he ever changed his mind and wanted to play professional baseball. With 7 Super Bowl rings to his name, Brady might have made the right choice.