Revisted: "I do think with another 1,000 at-bats, he would've made it" - Michael Jordan's former manager believes he would have been called up to the majors if he did not return to the NBA
Michael Jordan shocked the world when he announced his retirement from basketball on October 6th, 1993. It was even more surprising after he signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox on February 7th, 1994.
"His Airness" just came off winning his third straight NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls. However, the death of James R. Jordan Sr. contributed to his decision since his father wanted him to become a baseball player.
On this day in 1993, 30-year-old Michael Jordan retired from the NBA off the back of a three-peat with the Bulls: "I don’t have anything else to prove."
He would sign a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox just 4 months later. https://t.co/XiFBODVTUz
However, Michael Jordan's baseball career ended after just one year as he returned to the NBA on March 19th, 1995. Jordan played for the White Sox's Double-A affiliate Birmingham Barons. He batted just .202 with three home runs and 51 RBIs.
Jordan also struck out 114 times and made 11 errors while playing in the outfield. He induced 51 walks and had 30 stolen bases. He also played for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League against the best baseball prospects and batted a respectable .252.
Many have called Michael Jordan's baseball career a failure. But former Barons manager and current Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona believed otherwise. He claims that Jordan would have been called up to the major leagues if he had continued playing baseball.
Francona told ESPN in an interview back in 2020 that Jordan just needed more repetition to hone his baseball skills. It's worth noting that MJ never had any pro baseball experience, but still managed to get hits in Double-A. Francona added that playing baseball helped Jordan rediscover his joy of competing.
"I do think with another 1,000 at-bats, he would've made it. But there's something else that people miss about that season. Baseball wasn't the only thing he picked up. I truly believe that he rediscovered himself, his joy for competition. We made him want to play basketball again," Francona said.
Michael Jordan's work ethic translated to his baseball career
Michael Jordan's insane work ethic translated into his brief baseball career. According to Jordan's batting coach for the Birmingham Barons, Mike Barnett, the six-time NBA champ would get blisters on his hands for doing too much batting practice. Jordan wanted to perfect his craft with repetition and he would have been successful if he continued playing baseball.
"Michael would go after it five times a day. In the cage before breakfast. Regular batting practice. Soft toss. Game BP. Then, after the game, he was back in the cage. His hands were blistered and bleeding, his intensity was off the charts," Barnett said.
Jordan abruptly quit his baseball career in 1995 and returned to the Chicago Bulls. Despite being rusty, Michael led the Bulls to the Eastern Conference semifinals wherein they were eliminated by the Orlando Magic in six games.
Despite the setback, the Bulls reloaded in 1996 and won 72 games en route to their fourth NBA championship. Jordan would lead Chicago to two more NBA titles before retiring for a second time in 1998. "His Airness" would play two more seasons with the Washington Wizards from 2001 to 2003 before retiring for the final time.