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Many people rate Joe Morgan among the best all-around second basemen in history. He guided the Cincinnati Reds to two World Series titles (1975, 1976). Morgan also won two National League MVP Awards (1975, 1976) and five Gold Glove Awards.
Joe Leonard Morgan
(September 19, 1943 – October 11, 2020)
He was an American professional baseball second baseman who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Colt .45s / Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the National League Most Valuable Player in each of those years. Considered one of the greatest second basemen of all time, Morgan was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.
After retiring as an active player, Morgan became a baseball broadcaster for the Reds, Giants, ABC, and ESPN, as well as a stint in the mid-to-late 1990s on NBC’s postseason telecasts, teamed with Bob Costas and Bob Uecker. He hosted a weekly nationally syndicated radio show on Sports USA, while serving as a special advisor to the Reds.
After his career ended, Morgan was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1987, and his jersey number 8 was retired. The Reds dedicated a statue for Morgan at Great American Ball Park in 2013.
In the New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, Bill James named Morgan the best second baseman in baseball history, ahead of #2 Eddie Collins and #3 Rogers Hornsby. He also named Morgan as the “greatest percentages player in baseball history”, due to his strong fielding percentage, stolen base percentage, walk-to-strikeout ratio, and walks per plate appearance.
In 1999, Morgan ranked Number 60 on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players,and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
Morgan served as a member of the board of the Baseball Assistance Team, a 501 organization dedicated to helping former Major League, Minor League, and Negro league players through financial and medical hardships. In addition, since 1994, he served on the Board of Directors for the Baseball Hall of Fame, and was Vice-Chairman from 2000 until his death in 2020.
In 1990, Morgan was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with more than 81% of the vote. He entered together with Jim Palmer, both in their first year of eligibility. Morgan and Palmer were the 25th/26th players in MLB history to be elected in their first year of eligibility.