Yankees welcome Pro Bowl QB to camp for batting practice

Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took batting practice with the Yankees on Thursday

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback took batting practice at Yankees camp on Thursday, and you can take a look at his swing here.Mayfield, 28, used to play baseball. In fact, it’s the reason he’s an NFL quarterback today. According to Tulsa World, when Mayfield tried out for football in fifth grade, he wanted to be a wide receiver. But a coach who had seen him play baseball put him at quarterback instead

He played football and baseball at Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas and helped the baseball team to their first state playoff appearance. He eventually went to Texas Tech and later the University of Oklahoma for football.

That seemed to be the right path to take as Mayfield ended up being drafted first overall in 2018 by the Cleveland Browns. He was traded to the Panthers in 2022 and also spent time with the Rams that season before he signed a one-year deal with Tampa Bay last offseason.

According to Jenna Laine of ESPN, Mayfield and the Bucs are “slowly” progressing towards a new deal. The legal negotiation window, when other teams can pursue Mayfield, opens up on March 11.