Cubs' Prospect Chooses Baseball Over Football
Matt Szczur was the first Villanova football player to be invited to the Senior Bowl since Brian Westbrook in 2002. But Szczur will pass on the Senior Bowl and a potential NFL career to return to the Chicago Cubs.
According to Jim Callis, of Baseball America, Szczur will forgo the Senior Bowl and NFL combine, in exchange for $1.5 million from the Cubs.
The fifth round draft pick by the Cubs signed a $100,000 bonus that had an additional $500,000 if he didn't attend the NFL combine. But after Szczur was invited to the Senior Bowl, the Cubs apparently increased their offer.
Baseball America lists Szczur as the seventh-best prospect in the Cubs system.
He began his pro career with a 21-game hitting streak and hit .347/.414/.465 in 25 games as a center fielder at three levels of minor-league baseball.
As a college football player, Szczur lined up at receiver, running back, quarterback and even returned kicks. Although his 2010 season was cut short due to an injury, he still racked up 889 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns.
Last May, he missed three weeks of his baseball season at Villanova to donate peripheral blood cells to a 1-year old girl fighting leukemia, only to homer in his first at-bat back.
With Szczur now securely in the Cubs' system, the organization boasts one of the best receiving corps in all of baseball. The Cubs also have former Notre Dame receiver Jeff Samardzija in the organization.
