I ran across the following tweet earlier this afternoon from Alvin Keels, the agent for former 'Bama safety Justin Woodall:
Client Justin Woodall was clocked at throwing 92 mph today in a workout for a MLB team. Not bad considering his 4 year layoff from baseball
Interesting stuff, to put it mildly, but it's not exactly a crazy notion. Those of who follow recruiting closely will probably remember that Woodall was a standout baseball player in high school at Lafayette High School in Oxford, Mississippi. He was the leader of their 4A state championship team -- which ranked #1 overall in the state of Mississippi -- and was a standout on both the mound and while at the plate. As a pitcher, he went 8-1 with 1.80 era and 128 strikeouts, and as a hitter he hit .426 with 14 doubles, five home runs, and 42 RBI's. The Mets actually drafted him as a 19th round selection in the 2006 draft, which was pretty impressive considering most expected him to play college football. And making matters better for Woodall, he's a southpaw to boot. Lefties with big arms tend to get attention from big league scouts.
Now, obviously Woodall is fighting a huge uphill battle here. He hasn't played baseball since the spring of 2006, and he will turn 23 this November. Combined, those are two very big obstacles to overcome. Nevertheless, if Woodall can get his velocity back up to where it was in high school -- he was consistently hitting the gun at 94+ in high school -- anything can happen. More than a few organizations struggle to resist the temptation of a lefty who can light up a radar gun.