Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski has made a name for himself in the basketball world, but he recently revealed to The Athletic’s Nick Friedell that he believes he could have become a professional baseball player.
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To take it a step further, the 22-year-old from Wisconsin thinks he could have been a two-way star.
There’s a reason that the only two-way stars that come to mind in MLB either haven’t played in over 100 years or are named Shohei Ohtani. The skillset required to both pitch and hit at a major league level is extremely rare.
Podziemski, as explained to Friedell, had above-average hand-eye coordination from a young age and thinks that he could have been a two-way star in MLB.
"I think I could be the white Shohei (Ohtani)," Podziemski said. "I think I could do both. Maybe not to the degree he can do it, but I think I could for sure do both. Pitch, play the field, hit, all those things."
Now, Ohtani has three MVP awards (and is the favorite for a fourth later this month), a World Series championship (with the chance at another later today), and became the first player in the history of the sport to slug 50 or more home runs and steal 50 or more bases last season. His prowess on the diamond is unparalleled.
Although Podziemski noted that he probably couldn’t do things to the scale that Ohtani does, it is still a bold assertion. Nowadays, Podziemski appears to have found his calling on the hardwood, but still admits that if he had the opportunity (or time) to add another sport to his routine, he would do it.
"If I could play both, I would," Podziemski said. "I love baseball. It's my first passion, first love of any sport. It just happens I was gifted with it and really good at it. Always a special place. I love watching in the offseason. I love going to games in the offseason. Just special for sure."
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