Athletes from other sports drafted by MLB teams

The former Celtics guard was drafted in the 15th round of the 1977 MLB Draft, and he even played 211 games over three seasons for the Blue Jays. After hitting only .220, it's clear that he made the right choice by sticking with basketball.

Marino had a promising future as a pitcher after starring in high school. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1979 draft, but instead he played quarterback at Pitt and went on to a Hall of Fame career with the Miami Dolphins.

Elway used the Yankees as leverage for his NFL career, getting drafted in the second round of the 1981 draft by the Bronx Bombers (six picks ahead of Tony Gwynn) after playing both sports at Stanford. He was earlier drafted in the 18th round by the Royals in 1979. Some felt he would have been an All-Star had he stuck to baseball.

A Pro Bowl linebacker and former NFL head coach for the Jaguars and Raiders, Del Rio was selected in the 22nd round of the 1981 MLB Draft by the Blue Jays. He played both baseball and football at USC after being drafted.

A bust as a first-round running back pick by the Vikings in 1987, Dozier was also drafted by the Tigers in the 1983 MLB Draft. He didn't sign but was later signed by the Mets in 1990 and made it up to the majors in 1992.

Teams doubted that Jackson would play baseball, but the Royals took a flier on him in the fourth round of the 1986 draft. He made their risk look brilliant, making the MLB All-Star Game in 1989 and finishing his MLB career with 141 homers. Of course, Jackson also had four strong years with the Raiders before suffering a hip injury.

As accomplished as Sanders was as a football player, it's easy to forget how good he was on the diamond. Drafted in the 30th round of the 1988 MLB Draft, Sanders appeared in nine MLB seasons between 1989-2001. He swiped 186 bases over his career as an outfielder for the Yankees, Braves, Reds and Giants.

Ward's multi-sport athleticism is legendary, as the Heisman Trophy winner in 1993, the 26th overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft, an 18th-round pick by the Yankees in 1994 and an accomplished amateur tennis player. Ward chose basketball and played in the NBA from 1994-2005.

The former Heisman Trophy winner and enigmatic NFL running back was drafted in the eighth round by the Phillies in 1995 and played four years in the minors. He struggled to hit, finishing his pro career as a .211 hitter, but did swipe 46 bases in 170 games.

The Golden Boy of the Patriots was drafted in the 18th round of the 1995 draft out of high school by the Montreal Expos. He opted to attend Michigan as a quarterback instead.

Culpepper was a tremendous athlete in high school, and he was selected in the 26th round by the Yankees in 1995. He opted to play football at UCF instead of baseball.

A former backup quarterback in the NFL, Henson was considered the Yankees' third baseman of the future during his minor league career. He only managed to play eight MLB games.

The selection of Vick by the Rockies in 2000 was truly bizarre, as the accomplished quarterback at Virginia Tech hadn't played baseball since eighth grade. He predictably opted to stick with football and was taken first overall by the Falcons in 2001.

The former first-round back of the Bears was also drafted in the 12th round of the 2001 MLB Draft by the Dodgers. He played in only nine pro games in the minors.

The Angels selected Locker in the 10th round of the 2009 draft after previously drafting him out of high school in the 46th round in 2006, but he went on to play quarterback at Washington and became a first-round NFL pick in 2011.

The now controversial Kaepernick was drafted in the 43rd round of the 2009 draft by the Cubs after earning all-state honors twice as a high school pitcher in California. He followed his football dreams instead, becoming Nevada's starting quarterback.

Decker was a tremendous football, basketball and baseball player in high school. He was drafted twice — by the Brewers in the 39th round in 2008 and by the Twins in the 27th round in 2009. He also played outfield at the University of Minnesota before taking his talents to the NFL.

The Seattle quarterback's MLB past is well-documented, spending two seasons in the Rockies organization as a second baseman after being selected in the fourth round in 2010. He only hit .229 over those two seasons but was later selected by the Rangers in the Rule 5 Draft.

Tate was drafted twice by MLB teams — in the 42nd round of the 2007 draft by the Diamondbacks and the 50th round of the 2010 draft by the Giants. He had an accomplished career as a baseball player at Notre Dame but was even better at football before getting drafted in the second round by the Seahawks.

Winston was taken in the 15th round by the Rangers in 2012 but stuck as a multi-sport athlete at Florida State. Before going first overall in the 2015 NFL Draft to the Bucs, Winston won the Heisman Trophy and served as the Seminoles' closer.

Manziel didn't play baseball in college, but that didn't stop the Padres from selecting him in the 28th round of the 2014. Predictably, he opted to stick with football, though his NFL career has been brief to date.