MLB Postseason: Here are 3 Country Musicians Who Nearly Made the Majors

October baseball is finally here! Whether you’re a fan who tries to watch every game or one who just tunes in for the important ones, most people can still agree on the fact that postseason baseball is a premier sporting event. Some of the individuals in the category of “most people” also include country music singers. Morgan Wallen, Tim McGraw, Brett Young, and many other musicians have been outspoken about their MLB fandom.

However, there are a couple of country music stars who could have been on the opposite side of that. Yep, numerous country musicians had the opportunity to play in the big leagues. Instead, they traded their glove for a guitar and graced the world of country music for years to come. Here are three country musicians who nearly made it to the MLB.

1. Garth Brooks

Amidst his illustrious music career, Brooks tried to pivot into major league baseball. Odd, given that Brooks was one of, if not, the most successful country artist of the ’90s. Nonetheless, he felt he had a calling in baseball and as a result, Brooks played for three different organizations in three different spring trainings.

During his spring training appearances, Brooks was on the San Diegeo Padres, the New York Mets, and the Kansas City Royals between 1998-2004. However, he was released by all three teams at the end of spring training due to his poor performance. Matter of fact, and surely Brooks laughs about it looking back, the Mets released him for having a zero-for-17 batting record during spring training.

2. Charley Pride

Before making country music history by becoming the first black artist to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Pride was a serious baseball player. In 1960, Pride’s skills landed him a spot on the Missoula Timberjacks, a farm team of the Cincinnati Reds. Furthermore, Pride also tried out for the then California Angels, and The New York Mets. Neither team signed him and he had to stick to his lousy day job.

Although, Pride did try to make the majors once again during his music career. In 1974, Pride played in a spring training game for the Texas Rangers as a designated hitter. Batting at 50% that day, the one pitch Pride hit was off of the MLB hall of famer, Jim Palmer.

3. Conway Twitty

Unlike Pride and Brooks, teams pursued Conway Twitty to play for them, not the other way around. In high school, Twitty had a .450 batting average, which for you known baseball people is incredibly good. It was due to his performance that the Philadelphia Phillies offered Twitty a contract right out of high school.

Matter of fact, they wanted him so badly that they renewed his contract after he was done serving in the Korean War. Though, Twitty had his eyes set on music and put his potential MLB career behind him for good.

Photo by Andy Lyons