Samardzija hopes he'll catch on
Irish All-American WR says love for the Cubs made his decision easier
Remember when you were a kid and your toughest decision was whether you and your buddies would play baseball or football on a given day?
Jeff Samardzija remembers.
"I have been playing both sports my whole life and I have a deep love for both of them," he said.
Unlike most of us, Jeff Samardzija possesses the skills to play either sport professionally. Following an All-America football career at Notre Dame as a wide receiver, Jeff Samardzija surprised many observers, including his father, when he opted last week to concentrate on baseball. The Cubs drafted him in the fifth round of the amateur draft in June.
"I don't know if I would have been a fifth-round pick if I wasn't playing football," he said. "There is something [the Cubs] like."
So with sound mind and body, Jeff Samardzija chose the Cubs and a guaranteed $10 million for five seasons over a probable NFL career.
Jeff Samardzija had been projected as a low first-round pick in April's NFL draft.
"But I think just playing (Class A ball) this summer and seeing where it could go, it really made me take that next step and run with it," the Valparaiso native said. "I love the sport so much and every day I looked forward to the opportunity of playing for the Cubs. The fact that I was drafted by the Cubs made it a really easy decision."
Jeff Samardzija was 8-2 with a 4.33 earned-run average in 15 starts his junior season at Notre Dame and was ranked No. 20 on Baseball America's top prospects list when the Cubs drafted him.
"I think I am a pretty aggressive pitcher and I like to pitch with an offensive mentality and make things happen early [in the count]," he said. "I like quick innings to get our offense out there swinging the bats. Make it kind of quick as a pitcher and get a lot of ground balls and double plays."
Jeff Samardzija had a 2.70 ERA in seven Class A starts before returning to Notre Dame for his senior year. He is trying to be more patient than his friends when it comes to being able to pitch in Wrigley Field.
"I have a really deep Cubs base, whether it is family or friends. They are excited and always asking, 'Well, when are you going to be pitching in Wrigley?' I tell them, 'I don't know. Just calm down.' So they are excited, too, and happy for me.
"Any player who is in the minor leagues is just going to tell you they want the chance to play in [Wrigley]. All I can do is play the best I can and hopefully make the decision for them easy. All I can do is try to win every game that I am pitching and see what happens."
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