Michael Phelps is a world class swimmer and an avid golfer and it looks like he can add baseball to his resume of sports accomplishments, as he took batting practice with his hometown Baltimore Orioles at spring training on Thursday.
According to Yahoo Sports, Phelps was in Sarasota with the team and took some hacks while they were training for the upcoming baseball season. It is not uncommon for celebrities and athletes from other sports to make appearances at spring training for many teams.
The Baltimore Sun reported on the swings by Phelps, writing that he hit mostly line drives towards the outfield.
"Phelps told [Orioles Manager Buck] Showalter he hasn't played baseball since he was 10 or 12. Showalter answered that he hasn't been in the pool for 30 years but he's sure he wasn't going to sink to the bottom ...Phelps took five rounds in the batting cage with varying degrees of success and said he was a little out of breath after the final round. Orioles hitting coach Jim Presley gave him some tips, as did first base coach Wayne Kirby, who told Phelps to "use your lower half. This ain't no breaststroke."
The 27-year-old Olympian was at Laurel Oak Country Club for his Golf Channel show, "The Haney Project," and stopped by the batting cages with the Orioles.
Phelps is a big fan of area teams, including the Baltimore Ravens, and he spoke with the Baltimore Sun about the success of teams in the area this year.
"It's been a good year," Phelps said. "Obviously the Orioles making the playoffs for the first time in a long time, and then with the Ravens bringing back the [Super Bowl] ring. Buck was saying, they all set the bar high, so obviously looking for an exciting season for the guys."
Phelps didn't blast any home runs during his swinging session, although outfielder Adam Jones asked for some tips on his golf swing.
"It's my first time taking BP, so it was a cool experience, being able to do that with these guys and especially after a remarkable season and hopefully they have a good one coming up," Phelps said. "These guys are just normal guys, they are funny guys, they are just out here having fun and I enjoyed being around them."
Phelps recently went public with a new relationship with model Sarah Herndon.
