Brian Jordan Brian O ' Neal Jordan ( born March 29 , 1967 in Baltimore , Maryland ) is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder and National Football League safety . In the NFL , he played for the Atlanta Falcons , while he played in the MLB for the St . Louis Cardinals , Atlanta Braves , Los Angeles Dodgers , and Texas Rangers . Baseball and football . Jordan was a sports star at Milford Mill High School in Randallstown , Maryland . After graduating from the University of Richmond , Jordan embarked on a dual baseball and football career . He was drafted in the first round of the 1988 MLB draft by the St . Louis Cardinals . In the 1989 NFL Draft , he was selected in the 7th round by the Buffalo Bills , however he was cut in training camp . While climbing the ladder in the Cardinals ' minor league system , Jordan played defensive back for the Falcons from 1989 to 1991 . He had five interceptions and four sacks in his brief NFL career . He led Atlanta in tackles and was voted as an alternate to the National Football Conference Pro Bowl team during the 1991 season . In June 1992 Jordan signed a new contract with St Louis that gave him a $ 1 , 700 , 000 signing bonus to give up football and play baseball exclusively , ending his football career . St . Louis Cardinals . Jordan made his Major League debut on April 8 , 1992 with the Cardinals . He played mostly as a utility outfielder during his first three seasons , but in his first full year , in , he had a deserving season . His stats included 145 hits , 20 doubles , and a . 296 batting average in 490 at - bats . He also flashed his power by hitting 22 home runs and 81 RBIs . He built on his success in , hitting . 310 with 104 RBIs and a . 349 on base percentage , playing mostly as the right fielder and cleanup hitter for the Cardinals . He also led the major leagues in batting average with the bases loaded . In the postseason that year , Jordan hit . 333 in the NLDS and had a game - winning home run in Game 4 of the 1996 NLCS . Shrugging off a relatively disastrous and injury - riddled season in which he hit . 234 with no home runs , Jordan had possibly the best season of his career in , his last year with St . Louis . He scored 100 runs , saw his power return with 25 home runs , and batted a career - high . 316 , with an outstanding . 534 slugging percentage . Atlanta Braves . His stats in 1998 helped earn Jordan a $ 21 . 3 million contract with the Atlanta Braves . Jordan had a strong April and May to help carry the Braves early in the season . This propelled him to his only All - Star appearance . He finished the season with 100 runs again and drove in 115 runs . Jordan was a standout in the 1999 NLDS for the Braves against the Houston Astros . He batted . 471 , had the game - winning double in the 12th inning of Game 3 , and drove in seven of Atlanta ' s 18 runs during the series . He contributed two home runs in the 1999 NLCS , but went 1 for 13 in his only World Series appearance . Jordan ' s batting average and RBI totals dipped in , but in Jordan hit 25 homers with a . 295 average and was superb in the final games of the season , helping to push the Braves to their tenth - straight division title after a tight race with the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets . Later career . He was involved in a blockbuster trade on January 15 , 2002 . Atlanta sent him to the Los Angeles Dodgers with pitcher Odalis Pérez for Gary Sheffield . After a solid season in in which he hit . 285 , injuries significantly decreased Jordan ' s playing time in . The aging Jordan signed a one - year contract with the Texas Rangers in , but only batted . 222 and again missed chunks of time with injuries . In , he returned to the Braves , but he spent most of the season on the disabled list with left knee inflammation while rookie sensation Jeff Francoeur took over in right field . Relying more on his veteran savvy than athletic ability at this point , he made the team again in , but was limited to a platoon role at first base before again going on the disabled list . Jordan retired as a player after the season . Post - baseball . Jordan currently serves as a TV pre - game analyst for the Atlanta Braves on " Braves Live " , the official pregame show on FSN South and SportSouth . He is active in the Atlanta community with the Brian Jordan Foundation and authored the semi - autobiographical children ' s book " I Told You I Can Play ! " In 2009 , he was named as a television commentator for the Gwinnett Braves , the AAA farm team of the Atlanta Braves . Jordan is paired with Josh Caray for a 25 - game television schedule . References . 2 . http : / / articles . latimes . com / 1992 - 06 - 25 / sports / sp - 1103 _ 1 _ brian - jordan