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Michael Jordan is a Chicago legend, winning six NBA championships with the Bulls in the 1990s. Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa has compared his star shortsop Tim Anderson to Jordan. Anderson has been in the headlines recently due to comments made by New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson.
In an interview with Jon Greenberg of The Athletic, La Russa went on to praise his 28-year-old shortsop. He compared Anderson to Jordan, from one Chicago star to a legend of the city. La Russa wanted everyone to know that Anderson has the same mentality as Jordan when it comes to winning titles.
"He's exactly what our fans need to see as far as what a person he is and his dedication to winning. I was around here long enough to slightly get to know Michael Jordan. He's got that Michael Jordan desire for his team to compete and play for a championship," La Russa said.
Tim Anderson is one of the top players for the White Sox. He's a one-time MLB All-Star with a Silver Slugger in 2020 and a batting title in 2019. Anderson is also one of the few remaining African American stars in baseball. He's definitely looking to inspire a new generation just like what Michael Jordan did for basketball back then.
Michael Jordan's short-lived baseball career
Michael Jordan shocked the world when he retired on October 6th, 1993 and started a career in baseball four months later. Jordan signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox on February 7th, 1994. "His Airness" was fulfilling his late father's dream of him becoming a baseball player.
Jordan started his baseball career for the White Sox's Double-A affiliate, the Birmingham Barons. He struggled from the plate with just a batting average of .202. He had three home runs and 51 RBIs, induced 51 walks and stole 30 bases. However, Jordan also struck out 114 times and made 11 errors while playing in the outfield.
The six-time NBA champ would later be promoted to the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League. Jordan faced some of the best prospects in baseball and managed to fair better with a batting average of .252. His baseball career ended on March 19th, 1995 and returned to the NBA.
MJ would lose in the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Orlando Magic. The Bulls returned to form the following season by accomplishing a 72-10 regular season record topped by a championship. Jordan and the Bulls will win two more titles in the next two seasons.
Jordan's former minor league manager Terry Francona told ESPN in an interview back in 2020 that the GOAT would have made it to the majors. Francona pointed out that Jordan's work ethic would have propelled him to be a more consistent hitter and eventually get called up to the major leagues.
"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.
