America’s great pastime returned this week after a long winter and along with its hordes of loyal fans – including the rich and famous.
While Travis Kelce, Miles Teller, Jay-Z and Jennifer Lopez have all been known to grace the stands of ballparks across the country over the years, there are a number of celebrities whose fame extends to the diamond itself.
Many stars of the stage, screen and even politics enjoyed budding youth careers in baseball before ultimately striking out.
Here, Daily Mail takes a look at all the famous faces who stepped up to the plate in high school – but can you identify them all?
1. Baseball More Than A Memory for country star
A country music star (middle, back row) had Spring Training stints with the San Diego Padres and New York Mets after playing baseball in high school. He’s now known for his career on the stage but there was once a time that things could have been very different
2. From the ballpark to the White House
Pictured in the center, one president’s affair with baseball dates back to his childhood when he played Little League but eventually, he would pursue the White House instead of the diamond
3. Hollywood hero
Before carving out a decorated acting career, one of Hollywood’s biggest ever stars (front row in the middle) attempted stepping up to the plate at Augusta High School in Kentucky
4. Yellowstone star
Another Hollywood star (pictured back middle) played baseball in high school at Villa Park and went on to play shortstop for a Seattle Mariners Class A affiliate in 2002
5. Comedy icon
This comedic icon held the title of senior captain of his Long Beach High School team
6. Achy Breaky Catcher
Another country music star once looked destined for the major leagues, playing catcher at Russell High School before writing many classic songs we all know today
7. ‘One-speed’ baseball protégé
Before he became an iconic Hollywood heartthrob (back row in the middle) this young man was a three-letter athlete at Fairmount High School
8. From the diamond to the FBI
This actor, best known for his role as an FBI agent in The X-Files, grew up an avid Yankees fan and learned to hit and catch from his father, playing for Collegiate School in New York
9. He’s kind of a big deal…
One of Hollywood’s most loved funnymen (back row, center) was an accomplished student athlete, playing baseball and basketball at University High School, Irvine, CA
10. The world’s most powerful man
The world’s most powerful man (middle) claimed he was a high school baseball star at New York Military Academy destined for the diamond
Pictured in the middle on the front row, he once boasted he was the best ballplayer in New York state – how different the world might have looked if he pursued baseball for a career
11. From football to Hollywood, via baseball
This football star turned actor played baseball while attending high school at Harvard-Westlake
12. Apollo 13, Truman Show – and nearly, MLB!
He may be instantly known for his blockbuster roles but this actor is certainly less recognizable in a baseball uniform for his New Jersey high school
13. Boxer, actor – and baseball player!
Best known for a career in acting and boxing, this star (front row, right) and his teen years were aimed more towards sports than the screen
14. Split between the big screen and the big leagues
He may have followed in his father’s footsteps in acting but Hollywood wasn’t the only bond this star of the screen shared with his old man
15. Magnum PI really was Mr. Baseball
He played a ‘Mr. Baseball’ (front row middle), was a Tigers fan, and, while attending Grant High School in California, had dreams of making to the majors
16. Mr Major League
This TV icon (left) admitted his academic record cost him his spot on the Santa Monica High School baseball team
1. Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks doesn’t just have friends in low places – he has them in the major leagues too. The country star actually came the closest to making it in MLB but ultimately failed to hit it out of the park.
In 1998, in addition to launching his Touch ’em All Foundation with MLB, he began a short and unsuccessful career in baseball, signing with the San Diego Padres for Spring Training and again in 1999.
His performance didn’t earn him a regular season roster spot but was offered a non-roster spot, only for him to decline it.
He returned to the plate the following season once again for a Spring Training-stint, this time with the New York Mets. But that once again proved to be a flop, as he went 0-for-17 at-bat.
The ‘Friends in Low Places’ singer signed with the San Diego Padres for Spring Training in 1998 and 1999 and the New York Mets the following season
2. George W. Bush
George W. Bush continued a presidential tradition on multiple occasions when he has thrown out the first pitch ahead of World Series.
However, what many Americans may not know is that the former president’s love of the past time dates back long before he took the mound on baseball’s greatest stage.
Bush’s affair with baseball dates back to his childhood when he played Little League in Midland, Texas.
His passion for the sport continued into adulthood, when, before becoming President and Governor of Texas, he served in another office. Bush acted as a managing partner for MLB team, the Texas Rangers.
Former president George W Bush throws out the first pitch ahead of the 2023 World Series
3. George Clooney
George Clooney has carved out an incredible career as an Oscar-winning actor, director and producer. However, before Hollywood came calling, the 63-year-old tried stepping up to the plate elsewhere.
Clooney was reportedly regarded as one of the nation’s top high school baseball players as a 16-year-old, so much so that he even earned a tryout with the Cincinnati Reds.
But it was a swing and a miss for the filmmaker, who previously revealed that he suffered from one crucial flaw: A lack of skill.
‘No, I just lacked skill. I had everything else,’ he told Deadline of his athletic career in 2023. ‘I had a good hat, I had a good uniform. I just lacked the ability to play the game.’
Clooney was reportedly regarded as one of the nation’s top high school baseball players
4. Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner may have portrayed fictional Detroit Tigers pitcher Billy Chapel in 1999’s ‘For Love of the Game,’ but the talent didn’t quite translate from the big screen to the major leagues.
He did reportedly play shortstop for Seattle Mariners Class A affiliate, the San Bernardino Stampede, in a 2002 exhibition game against its parent club, only to go 0-for-3 at the plate.
The actor was later subbed into pitch and faced off against pinch-hitter/manager Lou Piniella, almost hitting him and sending the skipper to the ground.
Yet, Costner has carried the baseball theme into several of his films, including ‘Chasing Dreams’, ‘Bull Durham,’ ‘For the Love of the Game,’ ‘The Upside of Anger’ and ‘Field of Dreams.’
The latter inspired the name for independent Illinois-based team, the Lake County Fielders, which he was a partial owner of.
Kevin Costner reportedly played shortstop for a Seattle Mariners Class A affiliate in 2002
5. Billy Crystal
Having held the title of senior captain of his Long Island high school team, die-hard Yankees fan Billy Crystal had his dreams come true in 2008.
The actor signed a minor league contract during Spring Training when the Yankees afforded him one at-bat in a Grapefruit League contest to celebrate his 60th birthday.
However, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Maholm dispatched the ‘When Harry Met Sally’ star back to Hollywood.
Crystal enjoyed the chance of a lifetime in 2008 when he had an at-bat for the Yankees
6. Billy Ray Cyrus
Long before Billy Ray Cyrus dreamed of the stage, he longed for the diamond.
The country music star was destined for the major leagues. He played baseball while growing up in Kentucky and attended Georgetown University on an athletic scholarship.
‘I was a ball player. I was going to be the catcher for the Cincinnati Reds,’ Cyrus previously told PopCulture.com. ‘Or the Dodgers. That was my backup team, the Dodgers. I wanted to be Johnny Bench, but the Dodgers were scouting me. And I would have said yes to either.’
But the catcher left both teams with an Achy Breaky Heart when one concert changed his life trajectory.
He was left inspired after attending a performance by Neil Diamond in Charleston, West Virginia and the next day traded his mitt for a guitar.
Billy Ray Cyrus (pictured with daughter Noah in 2019) caught the attention of MLB teams
7. James Dean
Before he was a Hollywood heartthrob, he was Jimmy Dean – a little known three-letter sports star out of Fairmount High.
As a teen, James Dean completed in basketball, baseball and track, setting school records and earning the top-athlete medal in his senior year, according to the IndyStar.
While basketball is said to have been his best sport, the ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ star played third base for his high school team.
Outside of school, he competed in American Legion Baseball, where he averaged .333 at the plate.
James Dean competed in American Legion Baseball, where he averaged .333 at the plate
8. David Duchovny
While David Duchovny’s 2024 film ‘Reverse the Curse’ centered around a die-hard Boston Red Sox family, the actor himself grew up an avid Yankees fan.
As a child, the filmmaker obsessed over the Bronx Bombers, previously revealing that he would reportedly save coupons from the back of milk cartoons and trade them for tickets to the old Shea Stadium – the former home of the Mets – as passage to Yankee Stadium was too much of a luxury.
The ‘X-Files’ actor learned to hit and catch from his father, a second-generation Ukrainian immigrant who played softball.
Filmmaker David Duchovny played in his youth, learning to hit and catch from his father
9. Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell may be the last person fans expect to see taking an at-bat. So they’ll be stunned to learn he has his own profile on stats site, baseball-reference.com, complete with a serious bio, positions – all nine of them – and trade history.
In 2015 Spring Training, the comedian accomplished a historic feat when he played for 10 different teams in nine different positions across five games in one day as part of a charity effort for Cancer for College and Stand Up to Cancer.
He stepped up to the plate for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle Mariners, and the New York Yankees. He even served as the third base coach for the Cubs.
The transactions are listed in detail on his statistics page, with a washing machine, Churro Dog, and ‘Comedic Actor to be Named Later’ recorded among the trade compensations.
The 57-year-old’s sporting credentials include captaining the high school basketball team, playing on the baseball and soccer teams and suiting up in multiple positions on the football field.
Hollywood icon Will Ferrell enjoyed a decorated sporting career while in high school
In 2015 Spring Training, the comedian accomplished a historic feat when he played for 10 different teams in nine different positions across five games in one day
10. Donald Trump
The president has made no secret of his alleged sporting prowess, whether it be boasting about his countless golf championships or bragging about his success on the football field.
And his baseball skills are no exception. According to Donald Trump himself, he held the title of the best baseball player in New York state.
In his memory, he was a high school baseball star destined for the diamond rather than the Oval Office.
‘I was supposed to be a pro baseball player,’ he wrote in 2004 in a book called The Games Do Count: America’s Best and Brightest on the Power of Sports. ‘At the New York Military Academy, I was captain of the baseball team. I worked hard like everyone else, but I had good talent.’
President Donald Trump hasn’t shed away from bragging about his alleged baseball skills
11. Mark Harmon
Mark Harmon is one of the most well-known NCIS alumni but before he was taking down bad guys, he was enjoying a budding athletic career.
The son of Tom ‘Ol 98’ Harmon, a Heisman Trophy-winning halfback, the Emmy-nominated star channeled his sporting skill out on the diamond while attending high school at Harvard-Westlake School.
However, it was a different sport that booked Harmon a ticket to a collegiate career. As a quarterback, the actor led the Bruins to a 17–5 record, receiving the National Football Foundation Award for All-Round Excellence in his senior year.
Despite his achievements, Harmon was not selected in the 1974 NFL Draft but his passion for sport has translated to his work on the screen.
Mark Harmon reportedly played baseball in school but his best talent was on the football field
12. Ed Harris
On the big screen, Ed Harris is instantly known for his blockbuster roles in The Truman Show and Apollo 13 but the actor is certainly less recognizable in a baseball uniform.
Before he was starring opposite cinematic heavyweights such as Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Julia Roberts, Harris had a different set of teammates.
As a teenager in Tenafly, New Jersey, Harris enjoyed playing baseball growing up but that wasn’t what earned him a all-state nod.
Harris was a budding football player, going on to suit up on the gridiron for both Columbia and the University of Oklahoma.
As a teenager in Tenafly, New Jersey, Ed Harris enjoyed playing baseball growing up
13. Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke’s teenage years were aimed more towards sports than the screen.
In 1969, Rourke attended Miami Beach Senior High School, where he played second-string first baseman under coach Skip Bertman.
But it was in the ring, rather than around the bases, where he truly excelled. He took up self-defense training at the Boys Club of Miami where he learned boxing skills and ventured on an amateur career.
At age 12, he won his first boxing match but after one concussion too many he decided to hang his gloves up.
Mickey Rourke is said to have played second-string first baseman while in high school
14. Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell may have followed in his father’s acting footsteps, but Hollywood isn’t the only bond the pair share. Having briefly been a minor ballplayer himself, Bing Russell instilled his love of baseball into his son.
Russell Sr. orchestrated a local Little League in Thousand Oaks, California where Russell and other kids experienced their first taste of the sport.
In fact, baseball is said to be largely responsible for Russell’s decorated acting career. When he was 11 years old, he reportedly auditioned for a role in the movie ‘Safe at Home’ – simply to have the opportunity to meet Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.
Despite having already starred in several hit films and TV shows by the age of 20, his skills caught the attention of several major league teams, including the Angels, Cardinals, Giants and Twins, with the latter two reportedly even interested in drafting in him.
He went on to sign with Class A Short Season Bend in the Northwest League prior to the 1971 season. However, a devastating torn rotator cuff cut his budding baseball career short, forcing Russell to return to Hollywood full time.
Kurt Russell is pictured with longtime partner Goldie Hawn at the 2025 Oscars ceremony
15. Tom Selleck
It turns out ‘Mr. Baseball’ did actually know how to swing a bat.
Tom Selleck, a lifelong Detroit Tigers fan, had dreams of making to the majors as a child, playing for Grant High School’s baseball team.
‘If anybody asked me what I wanted to be when I was a kid, it wasn’t an actor. It was to be a professional baseball player,’ the ‘Magnum, P.I.’ actor told The Athletic in 2018.
In 1992, Selleck starred in ‘Mr. Baseball’ as a veteran Yankees first baseman who goes to Japan to keep his professional baseball career alive. And, in preparation for the role, he managed to fulfil his dream – to an extent.
In April 1991, Selleck engrossed himself in the role by donning a Tigers uniform and getting one at-bat with his favorite team down in Lakeland, Florida.
Tom Selleck previously revealed that he dreamed of playing professional baseball growing up
16. Charlie Sheen
He may have starred in ‘Major League,’ but Charlie Sheen failed to ever make it to the majors.
A Reds and Yankees fan, Sheen was a double threat as a teenager, playing pitcher and shortstop at Santa Monica High.
However, he admitted that ‘academic s***’ derailed his budding high school career, costing him his spot on the team.
The former Two and a Half Men star played pitcher and shortstop at Santa Monica High
Sheen resorted to trying to fulfil his dreams elsewhere – Missouri to be exact. After seeing an ad for the Mickey Owen Baseball School, the Two and a Half Men star headed to the Midwest in an attempt to get scouted.
‘But I looked at the talent there and knew I couldn’t do it for a living,’ he previously confessed to Sport Illustrated.
‘I think my baseball career would have been spent riding buses, not jets, if you know what I mean. So I figured, Hey, I’ll pursue a real idiot’s job instead. Acting!’
