Michael Phelps Takes Batting Practice With Baltimore Orioles

Michael Phelps baseball player? The world class athlete recently took batting practice with the Baltimore Orioles.

Phelps is not following in the footsteps of multi-sport athletes like Deion Sanders and Michael Jordan. The record setting olympian is originally from Baltimore and is back in town filming a reality show for the Golf Channel.

Still confused? While filming The Haney Project, in which world renowned golf swing coach Hank Haney teaches Phelps, the olympian stopped by Oriole’s training camp.

Michael Phelps, wearing number 18, took five rounds of batting practice. According to the Baltimore Sun, his number is in honor of how many gold medals he has.

Nervous about taking batting practice, Phelps told Orioles manager Buck Showalter he hadn’t been in a batting cage since he was 10 or 12. Showalter told Phelps he hadn’t been in a pool for 30 years, but didn’t think he would sink to the bottom now.

At one point Orioles first base coach Wayne Kirby joked with Phelps:

“Use your lower half. This ain’t no breaststroke.”

So how did Michael Phelps do during batting practice? He hit a number of line drives, proving he could possibly bat at the top of the order. He’ll have to wait to see if Baltimore gives him a call back now.

With most of the attention on Michael Phelps circling his break-ups and new relationships, it’s probably nice to be able to get the media focus on his professional life for a moment.

Here is Michael Phelps taking batting practice:

After watching Michael Phelps take batting practice, would you like to see him in the Major Leagues?

[image via Geoff Nelson / Shutterstock.com]