Pedro Martinez Recalls How Tom Brady Fared In Batting Practice

Before Tom Brady and Pedro Martinez rose to prominence as two of the best athletes in Boston sports history, the pair actually met in some unexpected circumstances.

Selected by the Montreal Expos with the 507th overall pick in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB Draft, Brady had a chance to test the professional baseball waters before heading off to become Michigan’s next great quarterback. Ahead of Martinez’ second season with the Expos, the three-time Cy Young award winner got a chance to throw for the 17-year-old high school catcher in batting practice.

“We drafted Tom Brady. I had the opportunity to throw BP to him in the cage,” Martinez said on MLB Network’s Intentional Talk. “…That was BP, you want him to hit it. He was swinging it pretty good, too. He’s a good athlete — real good athlete.”

Appearing in 61 varsity games for Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, California, Brady hit eight home runs, 11 double and 44 runs on a .331 batting average, per Pats SBNation. The dual-sport athlete was also named an all-league catcher for his senior year performance.

After a four-year stint with the Expos, Martinez joined the Boston Red Sox organization in 1998. From there, the legendary pitcher spent seven seasons in Boston where he earned four of his eight All-Star appearances and led the team to a World Series championship in 2004.

Just two years after Martinez arrived in New England, the Patriots drafted Brady with the 199th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft — not knowing the unsuspecting prospect would soon become one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Through 20 seasons in New England, the former Expos draftee logged three NFL league MVPs, 14 Pro Bowls, two All-Pro selections and six of his seven Super Bowl championships.

Who knows what he could’ve done as a baseball player.

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