Joseph Edward Borchard (born November 25, 1978) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder. Borchard was the 12th pick of the first round in the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft out of Stanford University by the Chicago White Sox. In high school, he won a division III state football championship at Adolfo Camarillo High School as the starting quarterback. He also played quarterback for Stanford and took a $5.3 million signing bonus to play for the White Sox. The signing bonus was the highest ever given to a player for a minor league contract until Justin Upton received $6.1 million to sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks in . College Borchard attended Stanford University where he played baseball as an outfielder and football as a quarterback. Football In 1998 Borchard was the Cardinal backup quarterback behind Todd Husak and played in seven games in which he tallied 317 yards and three touchdowns. In 1999 Borchard completed 42-of-71 passes for 747 yards and seven touchdowns and led the Pac-10 with a 177.3 pass efficiency rating, but did not have enough attempts to qualify for the national statistics. He made national headlines after his performance against UCLA in a relief role after Husak left the game with bruised ribs early in the second quarter. Borchard came on and threw for 324 yards and five touchdowns and was named USA Today's National Player of the Week for his effort. The five TD passes in a game tied Borchard with several others for the second most in school history. The following week, with Husak sidelined, Borchard made his starting debut against San Jose State and threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for one score. Baseball Joe was a twice named to the First-Team All-Pac-10 in 1999 and 2000. Stanford's website claims him to be "among the best players in the history of Stanford baseball." In three seasons, he hit 40 home runs with 187 RBI and a .346 batting average. In the Cardinal record book, he ranks eighth in home runs and batting average and ninth in RBI. Professional baseball Borchard's career with the White Sox was less than impressive, as he struggled to make consistent contact, an issue that plagued him throughout his career. Borchard's most significant big league playing time came in the season, where he received 201 at-bats. He hit .174 that year with 9 home