Baseball is a tough sport.
I feel like I’m not breaking any news here by saying that, but it’s always a wild reminder to see elite athletes in other sports try and fail to look competent on a baseball diamond.
Watching NBA players who can dribble a ball like it’s on a string and jump four feet into the air take hacks at batting practice tells you all you need to know about how brutal the sport of baseball is.
One thing that should translate from one sport to another is throwing, and this year’s NFL Draft features plenty of good throwers, no more so than Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
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Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza passes against Miami during the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Mendoza was at the Marlins game Tuesday night, not just as a fan but to throw out the ceremonial first pitch as well.
You would think something like tossing a ball would come as second nature to the South Florida native, but the video of him firing one across home plate had many scratching their heads.
Juuuuust a bit high!
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Okay, Mendoza is a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and has a national championship ring to his name (he’s also about to be several million dollars richer), so I don’t think he’s worried what some clown on the internet thinks of his first pitch at a Marlins game no one went to.
But, man! That pitch wouldn’t have been called a strike on Victor Wembanyama.
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza speaks to the media during the College Football Playoff National Championship game media day at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Fla., on Jan. 17, 2026. (Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images)
It’s clear from his motion and delivery he was trying to throw it like a football, which makes sense, but are you trying to tell me Mendoza has never tossed a baseball in his life?
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Call me a hater all you want, but I’m not the only one who is a little concerned about Mendoza’s first pitch.
Don’t quit your day job, Fernando.
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While it would be funny for scouts and GMs to use this to ding Mendoza and potentially drop him out of the top spot, I don’t see that happening.
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Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza holds up the trophy after the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Jan. 19, 2026. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
And, if we look at that purely from a football throw, it’s not bad.
Great form, delivers it high where only the receiver can catch it.
Yep, I’m sold. Mendoza to the Raiders confirmed.
Austin Perry is a writer for OutKick.