Joe Morgan (1990)


Date of Birth: 9/19/1943
Date of Death: 10/11/2020
Birthplace: Bonham, Texas
College: Merritt College / California State University, East Bay

Although Joe Morgan spent ten years with the Houston Astros, it was his eight years with the Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" of the 1970s that made him known to most major league baseball fans. In addition to his years in Houston and Cincinnati, Morgan spent two years with the San Francisco Giants, one year with the Philadelphia Phillies, and his final year with the Oakland Athletics. Morgan was probably best-known for his defensive plays at second base and for his speed on the bases, with consistently high stolen base statistics.

Houston Colt .45's/Astros

Morgan, who was a top baseball player in high school, was first signed in November, 1962, by the Houston Colt .45's. However, he only played in eight games with them in 1963 and ten games in 1964, spending most of those two seasons in the minor leagues.

In 1965, his first full season in the major leagues, Morgan batted .271 with 163 hits, 22 doubles, a career high 12 triples, 14 home runs, 20 stolen bases, and 40 RBIs in 157 games. He won the Sporting News Rookie Player of the Year award, and he led the NL in walks with 97 (to 77 strikeouts).

Morgan had average seasons in 1966 and 1967, batting .285 in 122 games in 1966, and .275 in 133 games in 1967. He had 121 hits, 14 doubles, and 42 RBIs in 1966, and 136 hits, 27 doubles, 11 triples, 29 stolen bases, and 42 RBIs in 133 games the following year. He walked 81 times and struck out only 51 times in 1967. He played in only 10 games in 1968.

Morgan struggled offensively in 1969, batting just .236 in 147 games. He had 126 hits, 18 doubles, 15 home runs, and 43 RBIs. However, he showed his discipline at the plate with 110 walks to 74 strikeouts and his speed on the bases with 49 stolen bases. He had a better season offensively in 1970, when he batted .268 in 144 games. He had 147 hits, 28 doubles, 42 stolen bases, and 52 RBIs. He walked 102 times and struck out 55 times.

Morgan played in a career high 160 games in 1971. He led the NL in triples with 11. He finished the season with 149 hits, 27 doubles, 13 home runs, 40 stolen bases, and 56 RBIs. He showed his defensive skills in 1971, leading NL second basemen in assists with 482.

Cincinnati Reds

Morgan was traded to the Reds on November 29, 1971. He had a strong first season with Cincinnati, leading the NL in walks with 115 (to 44 strikeouts) and in on-base percentage with .417. He batted .292 with 161 hits, 23 doubles, 16 home runs, 58 stolen bases, and 73 RBIs in 149 games. He was named the All Star Game MVP in 1972.

Morgan was an excellent defensive second baseman and he won five consecutive Gold Gloves. He won his first one in 1973, making nine errors that season and having 440 assists, 106 defensive double plays, 417 putouts, and a .990 fielding percentage. He led all NL second basemen in double plays and putouts that season.

Morgan also played well offensively in 1973, batting .290 in 157 games. He had career highs in hits (167), doubles (35), and stolen bases (67). He also had 26 home runs, 82 RBIs, and 61 strikeouts to 111 walks.

In 1974, Morgan again led the NL in on-base percentage with .427. He got on base with walks 120 times, while striking out only 69 times. He batted .293 with 150 hits, 31 doubles, 22 home runs, 58 stolen bases, and 67 RBIs in 149 games.

Two of Morgan's best seasons were 1975 and 1976 when he won back-to-back NL MVP awards, Sporting News Major League Player of the Year awards, and Baseball Digest Player of the Year awards. He led the NL in walks in 1975, and in on-base percentage and OPS in both 1975 and 1976. He had career highs in stolen bases, walks, and batting average in 1975, and in home runs and RBIs in 1976. In 1975, he had a .327 batting average with 163 hits, 27 doubles, 67 stolen bases, and 94 RBIs in 146 games. He finished the 1976 season with 151 hits, 30 doubles, 27 home runs, 60 stolen bases, 111 RBIs, and a .320 batting average in 141 games. His on-base percentage was .466 in 1975, and .444 in 1976, and his OPS was .974 in 1975, and 1.020 in 1976.

Morgan followed his outstanding 1975 and 1976 seasons with another good one in 1977. That year, he batted .288 with 150 hits, 21 doubles, 22 home runs, 78 RBIs, and 58 strikeouts to 117 walks in 153 games. He earned his fifth and final Gold Glove by leading all NL second basemen in putouts with 351.

Morgan's offensive production dropped off in 1978 and 1979. He batted just .236 in 132 games in 1978, and he had 104 hits, 27 doubles, 19 stolen bases, and 75 RBIs. The following year, was similar, with 109 hits, 26 doubles, 28 stolen bases, and a .250 batting average.

Return to the Astros

Morgan became a free agent on November 1, 1979. He signed with the Astros on January 31, 1980. In his return to Houston, he led the NL in walks in 1980, with 93 to 47 strikeouts. He finished the season with 112 hits, 17 doubles, 24 stolen bases, 49 RBIs, and a .243 batting average.

San Francisco Giants

The Astros released Morgan on December 8, 1980. Two months later, on February 9, 1981, he signed with the San Francisco Giants. He played in just 90 games in 1981, and he batted .240 with 74 hits.

In 1982, his second year with the Giants, Morgan won the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year award and his only Silver Slugger award. That season he batted .289 with 134 hits, 19 doubles, 14 home runs, 24 stolen bases, and 61 RBIs in 134 games. He walked 85 times and struck out 60 times.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Giants traded Morgan to the Philadelphia Phillies on December 14, 1982. In his one year with the Phillies, he batted .230 in 123 games. He finished the 1983 season with 93 hits, 20 doubles, 16 home runs, and 59 RBIs.

Oakland Athletics

The Phillies released Morgan on October 31, 1983. He signed with the Oakland Athletics on December 13, 1983. He finished his major league career with 116 games in 1984. He batted .244 and he had 89 hits, 21 doubles, and 43 RBIs. He walked 66 times and struck out just 39 times.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Gold Glove (5 times)
  • Silver Slugger award
  • NL MVP (2 times)
  • Sporting News Rookie Player of the Year
  • Sporting News Major League Player of the Year (2 times)
  • Baseball Digest Player of the Year (2 times)
  • Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year
  • All Star Game MVP
  • Willie Mac award
  • Led NL in walks (4 times)
  • Led NL in on-base percentage (4 times)
  • Led NL in OPS (2 times)

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Morgan in 22 seasons (1963-1984) in the major leagues include:

  • 7 seasons with 150 or more hits, with a high of 167 in 1973
  • 3 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 35 in 1973
  • 4 seasons with over 20 home runs, with a high of 27 in 1976
  • 14 seasons with 20 or more stolen bases, with a high of 67 in 1973 and 1975

Career batting statistics for Morgan include:

  • 2,649 games played
  • 2,517 hits
  • 449 doubles
  • 96 triples
  • 268 home runs
  • 1,133 RBIs
  • 689 stolen bases
  • 1,015 strikeouts to 1,865 walks
  • .271 batting average
  • .392 on-base percentage
  • .819 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Morgan at second base include:

  • 2,527 games played
  • 244 errors
  • 6,967 assists
  • 1,505 double plays
  • 5,742 putouts
  • .981 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Morgan include:

  • 7 postseasons
  • 50 games played
  • 181 at-bats
  • 33 hits
  • 9 doubles
  • 3 triples
  • 5 home runs
  • 15 stolen bases
  • 13 RBIs
  • 19 strikeouts to 38 walks
  • .182 batting average

Post Playing Career

A year after retiring as a player, Morgan started a second successful career as a baseball broadcaster. His career with ESPN ended in 2010.

In April, 2010, Morgan was hired by the Reds as a special advisor to the baseball operations department.

Morgan was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990 on the first ballot with 81.8% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Joe Morgan
ESPN - Joe Morgan
Baseball Reference - Joe Morgan

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