Former MLB outfielder to join South Alabama football team

Former MLB outfielder Bubba Thompson is enrolling at the University of South Alabama, reports Creg Stephenson of AL.com .

He is joining the Jaguars football team as a walk-on, Stephenson writes.

Thompson has not officially announced his retirement from baseball, though he posted a social media video of himself throwing a football inside the South Alabama facility with the caption we back yall! Thompson, a Mobile native, was a quarterback in high school.

(Stephenson notes that he was teammates with future South Alabama receiver Jalen Tolbert , who has spent the last three years with the NFLs Dallas Cowboys.) He passed on a baseball commitment to the University of Alabama to sign with the Rangers as a first-round pick in 2017.

The toolsy outfielder received a signing bonus just north of $2MM.

The righty-hitting Thompson drew praise from scouts for his athleticism and bat speed.

The longstanding question was whether hed make enough contact to be more than a fourth or fifth outfielder.

Thompson never really managed to do so.

He fanned in 32% of his 259 MLB plate appearances over the past three years.

He bounced around the league via waivers last winter.

The Reds succeeded in outrighting him off the 40-man roster in May.

Thompson hit .232/.264/.289 with a 28.5% strikeout rate over 57 Double-A games.

He qualified for minor league free agency at seasons end.

If Thompson fully moves on from baseball, hell finish with a .232/.273/.295 slash line in 109 games between Texas and Cincinnati.

He was an asset on the bases, stealing 27 bags in 32 attempts.

This article first appeared on MLB Trade Rumors and was syndicated with permission..

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