It has been a tough year for everyone but especially cruel for Major League Baseball as there have been five Hall of Famers pass away over the past six weeks. Morgan, 77, had struggled with various health issues in recent years including polyneuropathy.
Morgan is just the latest loss for Major League Baseball which now includes Al Kaline, Tom Seaver, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson and Whitey Ford.
Younger fans will remember him for his great work announcing “Sunday Night Baseball” games on ESPN from 1990 to 2010 but his playing career should not be forgotten. The Hall of Famer was a 10x All Star, 5x Gold Glove Winner, 2x MVP (five top-10 finishes) and 2x World Series Champ. He is regarded as one of the best second baseman in MLB history – right there with Rogers Hornsby. The “Big Red Machine” was among the greatest teams in history.
For years, second baseman couldn’t do any damage at the plate and their contributions were primarily on the base paths and on defense. Morgan broke the mold and set the standard for offensive second baseman. His 1975 and 1976 seasons are impossibly good, let’s take a look at each:
1975: .327 AVG/.466 OBP/.508 SLG 107 runs, 132 walks, 17 HR, 94 RBI, 67 SB, .974 OPS (All Star, MVP, Gold Glove)
1976: .320 AVG/.444 OBP/.576 SLG 113 runs, 114 walks, 27 HR, 111 RBI, 60 SB, 1.020 OPS (All Star, MVP, Gold Glove)
His career AVG was weighed down by two poor seasons with the Phillies and A’s to end his career so his .271 AVG doesn’t jump out but his prime years was as good as anyone. From his age-28 through 32 years (peak offensive years for most players) he batted .303 with a .431 OBP, .499 SLG, averaged 22 HR, 85 RBI and 62 SBS as well as 113 runs. Simply put, he was the best player in the majors. Offense was suppressed during those years and he still put up numbers that would stand out in any era. Additionally, we never see stolen base numbers like that anymore.
I obviously am not old enough to have witnessed his career, but I do have fond memories of turning on ESPN and watching him call primetime games with John Miller for years. I felt like his voice was synonymous with postseason baseball. That will be sorely missed.
2020 has been a hell of a year and it’s really not fair that we have endured so much heartbreak and losses. Here’s to hoping that we have more prosperity in the upcoming year.
