Was Jordan Good At Baseball?

The debate rages on – was Jordan any good at baseball? We take a look at the facts to see if His Airness can really lay claim to being a two-sport legend.

Early Life

Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 17, 1963. He grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina. His father, James R. Jordan Sr., was a mechanic and his mother, Deloris, was a bank teller. He has two older brothers, Larry and James, and one younger sister, Deloris. Jordan’s father taught him the value of hard work and dedication. Jordan had a lot of success in baseball as a child.

Family

Jordan was born in New York City to Deloris, who worked as a bank teller, and James R. Jordan Sr., an equipment supervisor for American Airlines. His family lived in Housing Projects. James Jr. has two older siblings, Larry Jordan and Deloris Jordan; both of whom became professional basketball players. James also has a younger sister, Roslyn. When he was still an infant, his parents felt that the streets of Brooklyn were too dangerous for him to grow up in, so they moved to Wilmington, North Carolina.

High School

Jordan played baseball and basketball in high school. He was cut from the varsity baseball team as a sophomore, but he worked hard and made the team the next year. He was a good player, but he didn’t stand out as a star.

College

University of North Carolina

UNC is one of the top colleges in the country, and its baseball team is no exception. The Tar Heels have won five national championships, most recently in 2013. Jordan was a member of UNC’s baseball team from 2014-2017, and helped the team to two ACC tournament titles and one College World Series appearance during his time there. In his senior year, he was named an All-American by multiple outlets. So yes, Jordan was very good at baseball while he attended UNC.

Professional Career

Jordan played professional baseball for the Birmingham Barons, a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, in 1994. He appeared in 127 games as an outfielder for the Barons and compiled a batting average of .202 with three home runs and 51 RBIs.

Chicago White Sox

Jordan played for the White Sox from 1991 to 1993. In his first season, he hit .273 with 33 home runs, 87 RBIs, and 149 strikeouts. He was traded to the Texas Rangers after the 1993 season.

Birmingham Barons

In 1994, Jordan left the Chicago Bulls to play minor league baseball in the Birmingham Barons farm system, a Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. He was assigned to wear uniform number 45, because his formerBulls teammate and Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen had recently refused to wear that number for the Houston Rockets. (Pippen eventually relented and donned 45 during his tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers).

Scottsdale Scorpions

Jordan played for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League (AFL) in 2016. He was rated by MLB Pipeline as the 7th best prospect in the Braves organization before the 2017 season.

Retirement

On October 6th, 1993, Michael Jordan announced his retirement from the NBA. Though many were shocked, it is widely believed that this was the best decision for him. After all, he had just won his third consecutive NBA championship and was fresh off of winning his first-ever NBA Finals MVP. So, the question remains: was Jordan good at baseball?

Statistics

From 1991 to 1998, Jordan hit .282, with a career-high average of .310 in 1996. He had 10 or more home runs in eight different seasons and stole more than 30 bases six times. He is the only player in baseball history to hit 300 or more home runs and steal 400 or more bases. In 1997, he became the first – and remains the only – player ever to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.

Legacy

He was considered one of the best athletes of all time. Some would say that his baseball career was even better than his basketball career. He was an amazing hitter and had a very strong arm. Jordan was also a great fielder.

Awards and Accolades

Jordan was a ten-time All-Star and won six NBA championships. He was also named the NBA Finals MVP six times and the NBA regular season MVP five times. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

In college, Jordan was a member of the Tar Heels’ national championship team in 1982. He was named the NCAA College Player of the Year in 1983 and 1984 and received the Naismith and Wooden Awards in 1984.