New York Yankees have had a number of great champions over the years. One of them was Paul O’Neill, who won 4 World Series titles for the team alongside Derek Jeter. O’Neill is currently a commentator and game analyst with YES Network. But before that, he had a 17-year MLB career, most of which he spent with the Yankees.

In addition to winning 5 World Series titles in total, O’Neill also made 5 All-Star appearances. But the former Yankee outfielder recently opened up about his career and revealed a surprising story about it. He was very close to not playing baseball at all.

Paul O’Neill was very close to giving up baseball

Paul O’Neill recently opened up on certain aspects of his career in baseball while speaking to YES Network. The former Yankee revealed he was very close to giving up baseball in High School due to his love of basketball. But his high school baseball coach talked him into playing baseball. Furthermore, O’Neill was checking out colleges when he got drafted into the MLB. YES Network shared snippets of the interview on Twitter.

In the Tweet, they said, “Paul O’Neill almost stepped away from baseball in high school. A year later, he was drafted while visiting where he planned to play in college.” In the interview, O’Neill says “I had taken into basketball so much in high school. I almost did not play baseball my 11th grade year. He called me in the office and said you can’t do this. You have so much talent in baseball and so I continued to play. And obviously was drafted the next year.”

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On the day of the 1981 draft, O’Neill was actually visiting the University of South Florida and received great advice. This helped him choose to play in the MLB over joining college. O’Neill went on to win 5 World Series Titles over the course of his career and establish himself as a Yankee great.

The New York Yankees retired O’Neill’s jersey in 2022

The New York Yankees retired Paul O’Neill’s #21 jersey in 2022. According to Fox Sports, O’Neill said, “It’s the highest honor that I’ve ever been given in baseball”. He played 9 seasons with the team and helped them win 4 Fall Classics. Furthermore, he was an intense player and did whatever was necessary to win.

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Even Derek Jeter sent him a heartwarming message in honor of his jersey retirement. Although O’Neill is a commentator now and has not taken the field for many years, fans will never forget his contributions. What do you think of the fact that Paul O’Neill almost quit baseball? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!