CJ Stroud (Photo via @WillKunkelFOX)
Fans are ripping on Houston Texans superstar quarterback CJ Stroud over a video of his baseball throwing motion that has quickly gone viral.

CJ Stroud threw out the first pitch ahead of the Houston Astros’ home game against the Atlanta Braves at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday. Before the game began, Will Kunkel of FOX 26 Houston shared a video of Stroud casually throwing a ball to practice for his first pitch:

It looks like a casual warmup routine for anyone who plays baseball, but many fans noticed something odd about the way Stroud was throwing the ball. And they wasted no time criticizing the throwing motion of the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year:

In case you wanted to know, Stroud delivered a rather fine first pitch prior to the game between the two perennial MLB heavyweights:

At any rate, Stroud has a very promising NFL career ahead of him, so it doesn’t matter how he throws a baseball. The No. 2 pick of the 2023 NFL Draft is not looking at becoming a two-sport athlete like Deion Sanders or Bo Jackson.

The Astros went on to lose 6-3, and Atlanta completed the three-game series sweep with a 5-4 victory on Wednesday. With the loss, the reigning AL runner-ups are now off to an ugly 6-14 start on the year.

CJ Stroud Is In Line For A Massive Sophomore Year

2023 was supposed to be a year of growing pains for CJ Stroud and the Texans, but they instead emerged as a force in the crowded AFC.

CJ Stroud went 9-6 in games he started and completed 63.9 percent of pass attempts for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns against only five interceptions. Houston won the AFC South and eliminated the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card Round before bowing out to Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens a week later.

With Stefon Diggs coming over via trade with the Buffalo Bills, the pieces are in place for Stroud to emerge as an MVP-caliber QB in 2024.