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“I Comped Him to Josh Hamilton”: Former MLB Scout Reveals He Saw a Big League Spark in Travis Kelce

Published 02/06/2023, 6:00 AM EST

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Travis Kelce is known to be a freak athlete. Especially after powering through to the Super Bowl despite suffering with back spasms the week before. And Travis didn’t develop this special attribute late in life. From a very early age, Kelce was a gifted athlete and could have had a future in the MLB, according to former scouts.

Former Atlanta Braves scout Reggie Sanders saw Kelce in high school and was dazzled by the Cleveland Heights hitter’s skills. Sanders even went ahead and compared him to the legendary Rangers’ outfielder, Josh Hamilton. And he wasn’t that far off, given Kelce’s achievements on the gridiron.

Travis Kelce could have been an MLB star

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The No. 87 recently equalled the former NFL tight end and future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski‘s record in the postseason touchdown tally (15). And with a game in hand on February 12, Kelce can surpass the 4x Lombardi winner. Despite Patrick Mahomes‘ contribution, Kelce’s athleticism has always been a key factor for the Chiefs.

SB 57 Bound Brothers Travis and Jason Kelce Reject Rob Gronkowski’s Big Offer in Front of Thousands of Fans

Reggie Sanders went ahead and claimed that Kelce’s MLB future was hindered due to his football dreams. “He was advanced mentally. That was the big part of his athleticism. Wasn’t just his pure ability to move. Was also his mental makeup. Combined with athleticism. And it translated into baseball. And I knew if he didn’t do the football thing, he would make it to the big leagues,” the former MLB scout said in an interview with TMZ Sports.

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He’s just a genius as an athlete. As far as baseball goes, I comped him to Josh Hamilton. But he was adamant to play football. As his father will tell you, he always wanted to copy his big brother,” Reggie said.

Well, Travis Kelce certainly isn’t doing badly in football. The Super Bowl champion is going for his second ring against the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Travis’ football career was his brother’s doing

This Super Bowl is extra special in the Kelce household. Travis and his brother Jason have created NFL history, according to the Insider, to be the first siblings to face each other in a championship game. And while their family will have a hard time deciding whom to root for, the brothers share nothing but love ahead of Kelce Bowl.

USA Today via Reuters

In fact, Travis’ football career is shaped by emulating his brother’s journey. The Kansas City Chiefs are pretty fortunate to have Kelce on their side and not in an MLB franchise, with the tight end slated for a hall-of-fame career.

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Written by:

Soumyapriyo Ganguly

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Soumyapriyo Ganguly is an NFL writer at Essentially Sports. He holds a degree in Economics and Statistics from the Indian School of Business and Finance. Rivu is a sports nerd with his favorites being Soccer, American Football, Basketball, UFC, and Formula 1.
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Edited by:

Tony Thomas