Michael Jordan Would Have Made MLB Had He Stuck with It, Jerry Reinsdorf Says

Michael Jordan played one year of professional baseball. He hit .202, had more strikeouts than base hits and hit three home runs. 

Jerry Reinsdorf, who owns the Bulls and Chicago White Sox, still thinks Jordan would have made the majors if he'd kept with it. 

"Yes, I really do [think so]," Reinsdorf told USA Today's Bob Nightengale. "Maybe as an extra outfielder. Look at what he accomplished. He last played baseball in high school at 17, and at the age of 31, he was playing in AA. We should have started him in A-ball, but the press accommodations weren’t adequate. So, 14 years later, he competed in AA, hit over .250 in the Arizona Fall League.

"If he had played another year, I really believe he would have made the big leagues."

That being said, if Michael Jordan was not Michael Jordan, he likely wouldn't have received the opportunity he did. It's also unlikely any other player who got caught stealing 19 times and made 11 errors in the outfield would have stayed in Double-A.

Though Jordan did show improvement in the Arizona Fall League, MLB teams typically aren't in the business of calling up .250 hitters who it without pop playing at a low minor league level. 

Regardless, it's hard to argue that an athlete with Jordan's talents, work ethic and dedication wouldn't be able to develop into a decent baseball player given enough time.