10 Athletes You Did Not Realize Played Baseball
Some professional athletes have the ability to play more than one sport at a professional level.
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Micheal Jordan was one of the most famous athletes to play multiple sports professionally, but there are some athletes you may have not heard about that have done the same.
- Johnny Manziel at one point was considering playing baseball instead of football. The football option worked out better for the past Cleveland Browns quarterback. Manziel played baseball through his junior year of high school before ending it to concentrate on football. In 2014, the Padres selected Manziel in the 28th round of the first year player draft.
- Tim Tebow, a former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback, is pursuing a career in professional baseball. Tebow has been training the past year as an outfielder and is ready to hold workouts with major league teams. Tebow has not played baseball competitively since high school.
- Michael Jordan is perhaps one of the best basketball players to play in the NBA in history. He led the Chicago Bulls to six championships and won MVP five times. He retired from basketball to pursue a baseball career. He played for a minor league team, the Birmingham Barons, as an outfielder for a year.
- Jim Thorpe is one of the greatest multi-sport sport athletes of all time. Thorpe played for six teams in the NFL and signed with the New York Giants in 1913 and played six seasons in the MLB.
- Brian Jordan played defensive back in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons from 1989-1991. In 1992 Jordan signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and mostly played as an outfielder for his baseball career.
- George Halas, known to most sports fans as “Papa Bear,” Halas played 12 games with the New York Yankees in 1919 as an outfielder. After a hip injury ended his baseball career, Halas co-founded and coached the Chicago Bears.
- Deion Sanders is an athlete who played professional football and baseball. He is the only person to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. Deion was drafted by the Falcons in the 1989 NFL draft, he also signed on to play baseball with the New York Yankees. He is also the only athlete to hit a home run and get a touchdown in the same week.
- Bo Jackson played in both the NFL and the MLB. He was recruited by the New York Yankees in high school. He joined the MLB in 1986 and later joined the NFL and the L.A. Raiders in 1991 where he played for four years, until an injury ended his career.
- Troy Aikman who was the number one overall draft pick in 1989, Aikman played 12 seasons as quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. The New York Mets offered Aikman a contract out of high school but instead of playing baseball, he chose to pursue football.
- Russell Wilson played Class A ball for the Rockies in 2010 and 2011. The Texas Rangers also selected Wilson in 2013, while he was a quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. In 93 career games at the Minor League level Wilson hit .229 with five homeruns and 26 RBIs.
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