Photo: Mitch Garver / Instagram
It’s refreshing seeing professional athletes driving something that isn’t the latest Ferrari or the largest possible SUV on steroids, isn’t it? Actually, it’s refreshing to the point where it’s almost weird, but it’s still something worth appreciating.
For starters, not all pro football, baseball, basketball or hockey players start off their careers on massive contracts. Some of them do have the common sense not to overspend on depreciating assets such as cars. Others maybe aren’t the type that want to stand out all that much in traffic.
Case in point, Aaron Judge. That’s right, one of the best baseball players of all time used to drive a regular-looking Audi A7 Sportback for years. To be fair, this was before his MLB debut, which probably explains why the car was an A7 and not an RS 7 – not even an S7, for that matter.
Still, Judge kept that car at least two additional years, as he was spotted with it at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, back in 2020. A first-generation pre-facelift Audi A7 for one of the biggest names in baseball. It’s almost like a feel-good story.
Speaking of which, I recently found out that Texas Rangers DH Mitch Garver used to drive an A7 Sportback of his own, only the newer, second-generation model. This was back when he was with the Minnesota Twins. A closer look initially pointed to this being the S7, judging by the design of the front bumper. However, looking even closer, it's evident that the side mirror casings are body-color and that there's no S7 badge on the grille.
In terms of specs, a second-gen Audi S7 Sportback would have been powered by a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine with a mild hybrid system, generating a total output of 444 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough to get you from a standstill to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. Meanwhile, the entry-level A7 with the S Line specification (which is what we're looking at here), is powered by a 3.0-liter turbocharged TFSI V6 engine, good for 335 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. It needs 5.2 seconds to hit 60 mph.
Today, you can buy a brand-new A7 Sportback from $71,200, which I’m not sure is even that much anymore for this type of vehicle, especially with premium car MSRPs going through the roof during these past few years.
Anyway, judging by what he wrote on his social media, Garver drove that A7 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, while it was snowing, conditions which the car’s quattro all-wheel drive system would have handled with ease, I’m sure.
As for what the Rangers’ DH is driving nowadays, well, who knows – maybe a parade bus soon enough, if his team can outlast the Diamondbacks in the World Series. Right now, the Rangers lead the D-Backs 2-1 after having just defeated them in Game 3.
Garver, who has only played for two teams during his 7-year career (Twins and Rangers), missed roughly two months during the regular season with a knee injury, yet still managed to hit 19 home runs in 87 games, with an OPS+ of 134. He is now two wins away from earning his first-ever championship ring.
Case in point, Aaron Judge. That’s right, one of the best baseball players of all time used to drive a regular-looking Audi A7 Sportback for years. To be fair, this was before his MLB debut, which probably explains why the car was an A7 and not an RS 7 – not even an S7, for that matter.
Still, Judge kept that car at least two additional years, as he was spotted with it at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, back in 2020. A first-generation pre-facelift Audi A7 for one of the biggest names in baseball. It’s almost like a feel-good story.
Speaking of which, I recently found out that Texas Rangers DH Mitch Garver used to drive an A7 Sportback of his own, only the newer, second-generation model. This was back when he was with the Minnesota Twins. A closer look initially pointed to this being the S7, judging by the design of the front bumper. However, looking even closer, it's evident that the side mirror casings are body-color and that there's no S7 badge on the grille.
In terms of specs, a second-gen Audi S7 Sportback would have been powered by a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine with a mild hybrid system, generating a total output of 444 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough to get you from a standstill to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. Meanwhile, the entry-level A7 with the S Line specification (which is what we're looking at here), is powered by a 3.0-liter turbocharged TFSI V6 engine, good for 335 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. It needs 5.2 seconds to hit 60 mph.
Today, you can buy a brand-new A7 Sportback from $71,200, which I’m not sure is even that much anymore for this type of vehicle, especially with premium car MSRPs going through the roof during these past few years.
Anyway, judging by what he wrote on his social media, Garver drove that A7 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, while it was snowing, conditions which the car’s quattro all-wheel drive system would have handled with ease, I’m sure.
As for what the Rangers’ DH is driving nowadays, well, who knows – maybe a parade bus soon enough, if his team can outlast the Diamondbacks in the World Series. Right now, the Rangers lead the D-Backs 2-1 after having just defeated them in Game 3.
Garver, who has only played for two teams during his 7-year career (Twins and Rangers), missed roughly two months during the regular season with a knee injury, yet still managed to hit 19 home runs in 87 games, with an OPS+ of 134. He is now two wins away from earning his first-ever championship ring.
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