Which team did Michael Jordan play baseball for? All you need to know

On Oct. 6, 1993, Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan shocked the world when he retired from basketball to pursue his childhood dream of playing baseball. Considering the Bulls were coming off a three-peat, winning three NBA titles from 1991-93, the move was extremely risky.

Jordan later explained his decision, saying he did it for his father, who was a Major League Baseball fan and was murdered three months earlier. Jordan also mentioned that he needed a break from the NBA.

Jordan first signed a Minor League Baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox on Feb 7, 1994. The owner of the White Sox, Jerry Reinsdorf, is also the owner of the Bulls, easing Jordan's route into baseball.

However, Jordan wasn’t very confident about his ability to make the team given his lack of experience. He said:

“I don’t think I’ve proven I can make the team. That’s just being honest. But I’m not going to give up. I’m trying to squeeze five years into eight weeks. It just hasn’t happened the way I wanted it to."

Jordan later played 127 games for the Birmingham Barons, a Double-A minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. Jordan struggled as a baseball player as he struck out 114 times in 497 plate appearances for the Barons. That’s a 22.9% rate, compared to the Southern League average of 16.4% that year.

However, Jordan showed signs of improvement throughout the year. In 1994, he appeared for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, after the major league season ended with a player strike. Jordan batted .252 in 123 at-bats.

Did Michael Jordan have any shot at making the MLB?

NBA legend Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan reportedly received an offer to join the Oakland Athletics during his time as a baseball player. During an appearance on the “Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney” podcast, former Athletics executive Sandy Alderson spoke about how he made Jordan an offer. However, the offer appeared to be more of a publicity stunt.

Alderson said:

“I called his agent right away and said, ‘Hey, look, I understand he may be going to Double-A.’ I said, ‘Look, I don’t even know who the 25th man is on our major league team right now. I will sign him and put him on the major league roster. He’d be part of our 25-man team tomorrow."

Michael Jordan’s agent, David Falk, confirmed the story. He said that Jordan didn’t feel like he was ready for the opportunity:

“I was excited about the offer, and Michael was very appreciative. But he wanted to do the baseball thing from the ground up. He didn’t feel he deserved a spot on the Major League roster and didn’t feel he was ready."

Michael Jordan never ended up playing in the MLB, and instead returned to the NBA in 1995.

Terry Francona, Jordan's former baseball coach, spoke highly of MJ's baseball potential in an interview with ESPN:

"I do think with another 1,000 at-bats, he would've made it."

However, pitching instructor Tom House spoke about how Jordan was basically at a huge disadvantage:

"He is attempting to compete with hitters who have seen 350,000 fastballs in their pro lives and 204,000 breaking balls. Baseball is a function of repetition. If Michael had pursued baseball out of high school, I don't doubt he would have wound up making as much money in baseball as basketball.

"But he's not exactly tearing up Double-A, and that's light years from the big leagues."

Francona later added that the most important thing was that Jordan was able to rediscover his competitive edge during his brief baseball stint. He said:

“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."

Obviously returning to the NBA was the right decision for Michael Jordan. He led the Chicago Bulls to a second three-peat from 1996-98, finishing his career with a total of six NBA titles.