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J.J. McCarthy can really throw a baseball. But his first pitch before the Minnesota Twins game was more like a ball four than a strike three. Luckily, McCarthy is good at handing off the football at Michigan, so the Minnesota Vikings have that going for them.
It’s been quite a topic of discussion.
The Vikings’ decision to start Sam Darnold over their recent No. 10 pick has raised eyebrows. Darnold, who had rocky starts in New York and Carolina before moving to San Francisco, is now seen as the short-term solution while McCarthy is groomed to replace Kirk Cousins, known for his accuracy.
Among the six quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy and Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos face the most scrutiny. Michael Penix Jr. will back up Cousins in Atlanta, but there’s no doubt about Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye being top-tier talents.
Here’s McCarthy’s latest attempt at pitching accuracy in Minneapolis:
JJ McCarthy’s first pitch was….. not great. #SKOL pic.twitter.com/nKi0yXTrHY
— Declan Goff (@DexsTweets) June 18, 2024
Accuracy can improve with time, but this throw was from just 60 feet away…
Let’s be real. McCarthy isn’t the first athlete to botch a ceremonial first pitch, nor will he be the last. Compared to 50 Cent’s infamous Mets pitch or John Wall’s Nationals attempt, McCarthy’s effort wasn’t too bad. Still, neither of those guys are professional pitchers either.
McCarthy might be as calm as Baylor coach Dave Aranda or cooler than Red in his kimono listening to Bone Thugs. But football is tough, especially if you’re questioning whether your quarterback can hit an open receiver.
In reality, this was just a pre-game event at a baseball game. It might be good publicity for McCarthy to throw out the first pitch at a Twins game. Honestly, how well he threw doesn’t matter much. What matters is that it adds a bit of doubt about whether he’s truly “the guy.” Who has it better than us? Nobody!
Fortunately, McCarthy can learn from Darnold and Kevin O’Connell on improving his accuracy.
It’s all part of the journey for J.J. McCarthy as he adjusts to life under the NFL spotlight.
