Former Phillies Prospect Cord Sandberg Shines as Auburn QB
By Matt Rappa
Former Phillies prospect Cord Sandberg tossed his first career collegiate touchdowns as quarterback of the No. 15-ranked Auburn Tigers on Saturday.
As the saying goes, it is never too late to pursue your passion. This especially rings true for former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder prospect Cord Sandberg.
On Saturday, Sandberg tossed his first-ever collegiate touchdown with the No. 15-ranked Auburn Tigers, in their 52-0 rout Saturday opposite the Samford Bulldogs.
Former @MiLB player Cord Sandberg threw two touchdowns today for @AuburnFootball today in its easy win against Samford.
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) November 23, 2019
He was a third-round pick by the #Phillies in the 2013 MLB Draft. pic.twitter.com/oRa4Nhdj8i
Sandberg, 24, officially retired from professional baseball in July 2018; in his tweet announcing his decision, the Bradenton, Florida, native said, “I want to thank the Phillies for allowing me to chase a dream of mine for the last six seasons, but it’s time to chase another one.”
Sandberg finished Saturday’s victory completing five of his seven pass attempts, totaling 84 yards and two touchdowns; he also rushed for 31 yards on six carry attempts (longest being 15 yards). Two other Auburn quarterbacks appeared in the shutout victory.
It was just Sandberg’s third-ever appearance with the Tigers, and the second of 2019. He had previously attempted only one other pass, which came in 2018. After Saturday’s game, Sandberg told reporters that his career collegiate football game “felt great.”
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At the time of his decision to retire from baseball, Sandberg told Bradenton.com that he felt “it was time to go to college,” “get an education,” and pursue his dream, adding:
"“… And if for some reason I never start a college football game ever, I can at 28 be like, ‘OK, I gave it all I had to both, but now I have a four-year degree and I can move on with the next part of my life.'”"
The former high school quarterback forwent a scholarship to play at Mississippi State, despite logging 79 touchdowns and just eight interceptions spanning 627 passing attempts. Sandberg’s decision paid off at the time, as the Phillies drafted him out off high school in the third round of the 2013 amateur draft.
Sandberg was ranked as the Phillies’ 22nd-best prospect in 2015 by MLBPipeline.com; he ended the last season of his professional baseball career (2018) with Double-A Reading. In 54 games, Sandberg slashed just .231/.271/.314 with four doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI, nine walks and 35 strikeouts spanning 166 plate appearances.