MLB is mourning one of the greats.
On Thursday, Dec. 5, former Chicago White Sox All-Star Bill Melton died in Phoenix, Ariz., after a brief illness. He was 79.
Melton, frequently known as “Beltin’ Bill” or “Beltin’ Melton,” was a third baseman for the Chicago White Sox from 1968-1977. He was named the American League home run champion in 1971 and was placed on their All-Star team that same year. He remained the White Sox’s all-time home run leader until 1987, when he was surpassed by Harold Baines.
He retired from baseball in 1977, five years after herniating two discs while trying to save his son from falling off a roof — an injury that markedly led to a decline in his performance.
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Melton held several different jobs after his retirement — one of them being to help Michael Jordan during his brief stint as a baseball player in 1993.
“My job was just to show him setups, look at a lot of videos of some guys that I liked, that I thought had good swings, good setups…,” Melton told MLB in 2020. “So, my deal was just simply to get him ready for Spring Training and talk to him.”
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Jordan, 61, who joined the NBA in 1984, famously retired from basketball in 1993, shortly after his father’s murder. A few months later, on Feb. 7, 1994, Jordan, then 31, signed a Minor League Baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox, going on to play for their AA affiliate, the Birmingham Barons.
“I thought MJ, he had the speed, he had the arm, he definitely would’ve probably had the power, but it takes more than one year to kind of figure out what you’re doing,” Melton told WGN in 2020.
“He was there, full-throated, interested, never missed a day, punctual, on time, and had a real interest in wanting to play Major League Baseball,” the All-Star told MLB.
Jordan, who gave baseball a shot as a tribute to his late father, retired from the sport in 1995 and returned to play basketball for the Chicago Bulls mid-way through their 1994-1995 season, staying with them until 1998.
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After working with Jordan, Melton became the White Sox pre- and postgame television analyst for WGN in 1998, later joining NBC Sports Chicago in 2005. He retired from broadcasting in 2020.
“Bill Melton, who played 10 seasons in the major leagues, including eight with the White Sox, and served as a popular pre and postgame analyst for White Sox telecasts for over two decades, passed away early this morning in Phoenix after a brief illness. He was 79 years old,” said the White Sox in an official statement on X (formerly Twitter).
The team’s chairman, Jerry Reinsdorf, said in a statement to Fox News: “Bill Melton enjoyed two tremendous careers with the White Sox. His first came as a celebrated home run king for White Sox teams in the early 1970s, where ‘Beltin Bill’ brought power to a franchise that played its home games in a pitcher-friendly ballpark.”
“Bill’s second career came as a well-liked and respected pre- and postgame television analyst, where on a nightly basis Sox fans saw his passion for the team, win or lose,” Reinsdorf, 88, added. “Bill was a friend to many at the White Sox and around baseball, and his booming voice will be missed.”
Melton is survived by his wife, Tess, and his two children, son Billy and daughter Jennifer.
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