Four years old, Patrick Mahomes II was patrolling the outfield at Shea Stadium before he was winning Super Bowls and holding a minority ownership position with the Kansas City Royals.
In 1999 and 2000, Pat Mahomes Sr., his father, was a player with the New York Mets for two seasons. Mahomes Sr. saw to ensure that his kid was allowed to accompany him and spend time with the squad.
Although it may seem premature for the son of a relief pitcher to bring his child to work and allow him to shag fly balls at four years old, Mahomes Sr. managed to make it happen.
The future quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs was not only working the outfield but also swinging the bat in the cage by 2000, when the Mets were getting ready to go for the World Series.
It was reported in a recent article at MLB.com that he was also befriending his father’s colleagues.
Pitcher Mike Hampton, first basemen John Olerud and Todd Zeile, and outfielders Benny Agbayani and Rickey Henderson were among the players that warmed up to the young talent.
Agbayani claimed that he could see the younger Mahomes was headed for greatness even at that early stage.
He was accurate. Mahomes was selected late in the draft by the Detroit Tigers, before he decided to play quarterback for Texas Tech. But he persisted in playing football, was selected as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player and was selected as a first-round choice. On Sunday, he will compete in the Super Bowl in an attempt to win a third championship.
“When Little Pat was coming through the stadium shagging fly balls and wanting to be on the field, I thought he was going to be an MLB superstar,” Agbayani said. “Come to find out, he is an NFL quarterback that is a superstar. That’s an amazing story. He went to another sport. I always pinch myself because this is the kid that actually stood by me. I watch him on TV all the time. He is going to the Hall of Fame. He is always in the Super Bowl. He is one of those kids that knows how to win.”
Mahomes Sr. joined the Mets in 1999 and played for them for two seasons. One year after not even playing in the Majors, he produced what may have been the finest season of his career: he went 8-0 with a 3.68 ERA in 39 bullpen appearances. He threw in four games and ended with a 2.25 ERA as the Mets advanced to the postseason.