“I was supposed to be a pro baseball player" - Former President Donald Trump once shared little-known chapter about his high school diamond dominance

Former President of the United States Donald Trump once claimed to have dominated the diamond. In a 2004 book named "The Games Do Count: America’s Best and Brightest on the Power of Sports," by Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade, Trump mentioned that he was the captain of the New York Military Academy baseball team:

“I was supposed to be a pro baseball player. At the New York Military Academy, I was captain of the baseball team. I worked hard like everyone else, but I had good talent.

"I will never forget […] the first time I saw my name in the newspaper,” Trump continued.

“It was when I got the winning home run in a game between our academy and Cornwall High School. It was in 1964 and it was in a little local paper. It simply said, 'TRUMP HOMERS TO WIN THE GAME.' I just loved it and I will never forget it. It was better than actually hitting the home run.”

Trump, who played first base, stated that "being a pro was in the equation" until he went to a tryout with "another young kid named Willie McCovey." Apparently, seeing the future Hall of Famer in action prompted him to give up baseball for good.

Donald Trump disclosed the same in a 2010 interview with MTV:

“I was supposed to be a professional baseball player, fortunately, I decided to go into real estate instead," Trump added.

Three years later, in April 2013, Trump took to Twitter and said that he played football and baseball and even claimed that he was the best basketball player in New York State.

Does Donald Trump's baseball story check out?

Donald Trump went further in a 2015 interview, discussing his baseball status with biographer Michael D’Antonio. One of the reasons he said that he didn't go forward with it was that "in those days, you couldn’t even make any money being a great baseball player."

Moreover, backing his claims was his former coach, Ted Dobias, whom Trump himself mentioned in his April 2013 tweet. According to the Daily Mail, Dobias mentioned Trump being scouted by the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. However, there are compelling reasons put forth by Slate's Leander Schaerlaeckens that suggest otherwise.

Trump's claims that he won his NYMA team with a homer against Cornwall High School don't check out. There was no local newspaper found that covered that news nor were the teams scheduled to play each other in 1964, according to the yearbook. Nor even in 1963 for that matter.

Moreover, Trump's tryout with Willie McCovey also didn't check out. By the time Trump was a senior in high school, McCovey, who was eight years older than him, was in his fifth year in the major leagues and already an All-Star.

What do you think about Donald Trump claiming to be a good baseball player in his early days? Let us know in the comments section.