The Texas Rangers are really getting their money's worth for drafting Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in the Rule 5 Draft.

The move shocked many -- Wilson has had a stellar start to his career and appears to have a bright future in football -- but the publicity associated with the Rangers' move may be enough to justify the $12,000 they spent on him.

This week Topps announced it would make a limited edition Russell Wilson Texas Rangers baseball card.

The card will be available beginning April 30.


"Sports fans have always been fascinated by the two-sport star," Topps vice president of product development Clay Luraschi told ESPN. "When you talk to fans about amazing athletes, you always hear the name Bo Jackson come up. And whenever you have an athlete that could potentially be a two-sport star, there's always a lot of buzz about him.

"Will he ever play for the Rangers? We don't know. But we thought we'd make a card to let people know what it would look like if he did."

Wilson, an infielder, was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2007 but decided instead to attend N.C. State. In 2010 he was selected by the Colorado Rockies. He played Single A ball for parts of the 2010 and 2011 seasons, hitting .229 with five homers, 19 stolen bases and 118 strikeouts.

Here's his card from his brief stint with Colorado's organization:


The honor doesn't mean Wilson is any likelier to play for the Rangers (although some, like Deion Sanders, have suggested he should). Wilson may, however, show up to spring training and speak to the Rangers about being a professional and succeeding at the highest level of sports.