Relative to other positions, pitchers tend to be larger than most (CC Sabathia and Kenley Jansen, for instance), but the major leagues have never seen a pitcher quite as well-proportioned as D.J. Reader, a 6’3,” 347-pound defensive tackle preparing for his sixth NFL season and second as a Cincinnati Bengal.
The former fifth-round draft pick first rose to stardom with the Houston Texans, who he spent his first four seasons with before defecting to Cincy on a four-year, $53-million contract in last year’s free agency. But long before the Bengals made him one of the richest D linemen in football, Reader was a budding two-sport athlete at Clemson, competing on both the school’s football and baseball teams.
Reader’s baseball career in Death Valley was uneventful—he logged all of six plate appearances for the Tigers, all as a freshman in 2013. Reader struck out three times in that span with none of his at-bats resulting in a hit. In fairness, Reader was probably lucky to have played at all as a freshman on a nationally-ranked team. Though it never quite translated to the college level, Reader was a standout high-school performer in his native Greensboro, North Carolina, batting .529 as a junior with three homers and 20 RBI in 51 at-bats for Grimsley High that season. He also pitched at Grimsley, reaching up to 90 mph on his fastball, per Aaron Reiss of The Athletic.
With NFL training camp still months away, Reader has rediscovered his lost love of baseball, honing his delivery on an indoor mound. The 26-year-old seems pleased with the progress he’s making, even offering to chip in as a setup man for the Reds. Cincinnati’s bullpen has been a disaster this year (6.00 ERA, second-worst in the majors) and Reader would surely be an instant hit among fans if the Reds signed him. You’re telling me you wouldn’t pay $35 to see a 350-pound cement truck of a man throw an inning out of the Reds’ pen? I would. Hell, I’d pay double that.
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