Jeff Samardzija

[Koby Schellenger]

Is this guy any good? He got a pretty big contract.I didn't know if its just from the hype of football.

My opinion is that he's a better baseball player than a football player. BUT, that comes with some degree of understanding of the differences. Football players revieve guarenteed money while baseball players don't. As a strickly financial situation, he's better off in football, but I think he's equally likely to suceed in both. I wouldn't take a risk on him by any means at this point, but would definitley keep an eye on his actions.

[j_d_mcnugent]

Football players revieve guarenteed money while baseball players don't. As a strickly financial situation, he's better off in football, but I think he's equally likely to suceed in both. I wouldn't take a risk on him by any means at this point, but would definitley keep an eye on his actions.

football contracts arent guaranteed. there are guaranteed portions, like signing bonuses.



whether he is overhyped or not is a matter of perspective. he has a good fastball and good frame, but is really raw. guys like that sometimes become great and sometimes disappear off the face of the earth.

[Havok1517]

Just heard on ESPN radio that Jeff Samardzija has chosen the play baseball with the Cubs and signed a 5 year contract with a large signing bonus instead of entering the NFL draft. He's slated to be on the fasttrack the majors and culd see time in the Cub rotation as soon as 2008. He has a 96 mph and good, though, unrefinded breaking stuff...personally I think he made the wrong choice. He was slated to be the 4 or 5th best WR in the draft. To me, he went for the money and career instead of his best sport. But only time will tell.

[amr120402]

I went to highschool with him and He was good at both sports their and after he went to college you didnt hear much about him and baseball till the begining or middle of his junior year. I personally think he shoulda stuck with football too. But hes gonna get more money, less longterm injuries, and playing for a hometown team. Cant ask for much more than that. Would he have been a better football player?? Maybe but hes been splitting time between 2 sports and can now focus on just baseball...if the report of him signing with the cubs is true...

[TurdFerguson]

Jeff Samardzija is giving up football for baseball, FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal is reporting.
Samardzija, a wide receiver at Notre Dame, could have been a first-round pick in the NFL draft. However, he was also drafted by the Cubs in the fifth round last year and got a deal potentially worth $7.25 million over five years. That he'll concentrate on baseball makes him one of the Cubs' top pitching prospects.

[sportsaddict]

I stand corrected. This is a shock to me. I thought for sure he would be playing football but I guess not.

[WickedSmaat]

Good Article on his mechanics and comparing them to other players. Looks like he's got a ways to go.