BP for QB? Mayfield takes swings with Yanks

TAMPA, Fla. — No stranger to throwing deep at his day job, free-agent NFL quarterback Baker Mayfield stopped by Yankees camp to try his hand at going deep.

In front of an audience that included Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, Mayfield jumped into the batting cage for a round before Thursday’s Grapefruit League game against the Tigers, launching a few solid drives that landed in the George M. Steinbrenner Field outfield.

“Good-looking swing, for sure,” said Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, who attended a Tampa Bay Lightning game with Mayfield in January. “A lot of contact.”

Tristan Wirfs, an offensive lineman and teammate of Mayfield with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, also took a round of BP with the team. Mayfield and Wirfs both left the stadium with personalized bats signed by Judge, a souvenir of their big league moment.

“I’m a little rusty, as you could tell,” Mayfield told the YES Network. “It’s awesome getting to meet some of these guys. I’m a big baseball fan, so meeting some of these guys in person and watching them up close in batting practice, it’s special.”

Mayfield, 28, said baseball was actually his favorite sport while growing up in Austin, Texas.

“I’ll say this: it’s always fun to talk about the opposite sports, and the dreams we had of playing the other sports,” Mayfield said. “Their hand-eye coordination is truly elite. I couldn’t track some of these balls coming in that fast.”

Drafted by the Cleveland Browns first overall in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma, Mayfield signed a one-year contract with the Bucs this past March. He guided Tampa Bay to a 9-8 record and a first-round playoff upset of the Philadelphia Eagles and received his first Pro Bowl selection.

“It was an unbelievable year,” Mayfield said. “Truly, the group we had is what made it really special. It started out decent and we had a really bad lull there in midyear, but the group we had stuck together, so that’s what made it really special. Obviously, winning cures a lot of things.”

Related Posts

Prince Harry’s secret visa files released – but key question remains over drug use

The conservative Heritage Foundation had campaigned to have Prince Harry’s Visa application released after he admitted to taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms A US judge has…

Zara McDermott shakes off Sam Thompson dig as she ‘moves fast’ with Louis Tomlinson

Zara McDermott was recently spotted on a date with Louis Tomlinson as pals have claimed the pair are ‘moving fast’ but are ‘happy’ for them – while…

Paddy McGuinness puts lavish £6.5m home on the market as Christine ‘desperate’ to move on

Christine McGuinness is said to be feeling ‘desperate’ to start a fresh as her estranged husband Paddy McGuinness has put their former marital home up for sale…

Victoria Beckham confirms part in Jennifer Aniston’s ex Justin Theroux’s wedding

Victoria Beckham confirmed she had a huge role in Jennifer Aniston’s ex-husband Justin Theroux’s wedding to Nicole Brydon Bloom Victoria Beckham confirms part in Jennifer Aniston’s ex…

Celebrity Big Brother star Bradley Riches joins Emmerdale in mysterious new role

Celebrity Big Brother star and Heartstopper actor Bradley Riches has joined the cast of Emmerdale in a mysterious new role, with the scenes set to debut in…

Coleen Nolan interrupts Loose Women co-star to take swipe at ex-husband

Loose Women took an awkward turn on Tuesday when Coleen Nolan made a savage Alfie Moon comment Loose Women: Coleen asks Charlene about her first child’s name…