Joe Morgan, baseball player, 268 home runs, 1963-1984

Joe Morgan

⭐ Hall of Fame 1990

Born: 9/19/1943 in Bonham, TX, USA

Died: 10/11/2020 in Danville, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1963-09-21 | Final Game: 1984-09-30

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'7" | Weight: 160 lbs

Full name: Joe Leonard Morgan

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Biography

Joe Morgan, born in 1943, was a distinguished position player who enjoyed a prolific career in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1984. Known for his exceptional combination of power and speed, Morgan played in 2,649 games, amassing 2,517 hits, 268 home runs, and 1,133 RBIs. His career batting average stood at .271, complemented by an impressive total of 689 stolen bases, which underscored his aggressive and dynamic playing style. A key member of the Cincinnati Reds during their dominance in the 1970s, Morgan was instrumental in the team's success, helping to secure two World Series championships in 1975 and 1976. Morgan's contributions to the game extended beyond statistics. He was a ten-time All-Star and won the All-Star Game MVP award, showcasing his ability to perform on baseball's biggest stages. His accolades also included being named TSN Rookie Player of the Year and, later, his induction into the Hall of Fame in 1990, recognizing his impact on the game. Morgan's legacy is marked not only by his individual achievements but also by his role in the transformation of the second base position and his influence during an era characterized by the rise of power hitters and the evolving strategies of the game. His remarkable career continues to inspire future generations of baseball players.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2649 9277 1650 2517 449 96 268 1133 689 1865 1015 0.271 0.392 0.427 0.819 39254.8

Career AVG .271 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — +6.7% above league average.

Career OBP .392 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — +22.6% above league average.

Career SLG .427 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — +13.6% above league average.

Career OPS 0.819 vs. league average 0.696 across their career seasons — +17.7% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1963 HOU NL 8 25 5 6 0 1 0 3 1 5 5 0.240 — — — — 0.0
1964 HOU NL 10 37 4 7 0 0 0 0 0 6 7 0.189 — — — — 0.0
1965 HOU NL 157 601 100 163 22 12 14 40 20 97 77 0.271 .245 (+10%) .310 (+20%) .371 (+12%) .682 (+16%) 2167.8
1966 HOU NL 122 425 60 121 14 8 5 42 11 89 43 0.285 .248 (+15%) .309 (+33%) .376 (+4%) .685 (+17%) 1853.4
1967 HOU NL 133 494 73 136 27 11 6 42 29 81 51 0.275 .242 (+14%) .306 (+23%) .357 (+15%) .663 (+19%) 1979.4
1968 HOU NL 10 20 6 5 0 1 0 0 3 7 4 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1969 HOU NL 147 535 94 126 18 5 15 43 49 110 74 0.236 .248 (-5%) .320 (+14%) .369 (+1%) .689 (+7%) 1104.1
1970 HOU NL 144 548 102 147 28 9 8 52 42 102 55 0.268 .253 (+6%) .325 (+18%) .385 (+3%) .711 (+10%) 1385.3
1971 HOU NL 160 583 87 149 27 11 13 56 40 88 52 0.256 .249 (+3%) .316 (+11%) .365 (+11%) .682 (+11%) 1350.4
1972 CIN NL 149 552 122 161 23 4 16 73 58 115 44 0.292 .243 (+20%) .310 (+34%) .353 (+23%) .664 (+28%) 3602.3
1973 CIN NL 157 576 116 167 35 2 26 82 67 111 61 0.290 .256 (+13%) .325 (+25%) .378 (+30%) .703 (+28%) 3619.7
1974 CIN NL 149 512 107 150 31 3 22 67 58 120 69 0.293 .256 (+14%) .324 (+32%) .369 (+34%) .693 (+33%) 3870.5
1975 CIN NL 146 498 107 163 27 6 17 94 67 132 52 0.327 .257 (+27%) .327 (+42%) .374 (+36%) .701 (+39%) 4648.2
1976 CIN NL 141 472 113 151 30 5 27 111 60 114 41 0.320 .255 (+25%) .320 (+39%) .360 (+60%) .681 (+50%) 4965.9
1977 CIN NL 153 521 113 150 21 6 22 78 49 117 58 0.288 .264 (+9%) .329 (+27%) .401 (+19%) .730 (+23%) 2965.3
1978 CIN NL 132 441 68 104 27 0 13 75 19 79 40 0.236 .257 (-9%) .323 (+7%) .378 (+2%) .702 (+4%) 515.6
1979 CIN NL 127 436 70 109 26 1 9 32 28 93 45 0.250 .265 (-6%) .329 (+15%) .397 (-5%) .727 (+4%) 700.5
1980 HOU NL 141 461 66 112 17 5 11 49 24 93 47 0.243 .264 (-8%) .326 (+12%) .387 (-4%) .714 (+4%) 661.2
1981 SFG NL 90 308 47 74 16 1 8 31 14 66 37 0.240 .255 (-6%) .320 (+16%) .368 (+2%) .688 (+9%) 720.2
1982 SFG NL 134 463 68 134 19 4 14 61 24 85 60 0.289 .261 (+11%) .324 (+23%) .388 (+13%) .712 (+18%) 1972.4
1983 PHI NL 123 404 72 93 20 1 16 59 18 89 54 0.230 .260 (-12%) .324 (+14%) .389 (+4%) .714 (+8%) 966.7
1984 OAK AL 116 365 50 89 21 0 6 43 8 66 39 0.244 .259 (-6%) .322 (+10%) .384 (-9%) .707 (avg) 206.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
50 181 26 33 9 3 5 13 37 19 0.182

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1983 NLCS PHI 4 15 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0.067
1983 WS PHI 5 19 3 5 0 1 2 2 2 3 0.263
1980 NLCS HOU 4 13 1 2 1 1 0 0 6 1 0.154
1979 NLCS CIN 3 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0.000
1976 NLCS CIN 3 7 2 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 0.000
1976 WS CIN 4 15 3 5 1 1 1 2 2 2 0.333
1975 NLCS CIN 3 11 2 3 3 0 0 1 2 2 0.273
1975 WS CIN 7 27 4 7 1 0 0 3 5 1 0.259
1973 NLCS CIN 5 20 1 2 1 0 0 1 2 2 0.100
1972 NLCS CIN 5 19 5 5 0 0 2 3 1 2 0.263
1972 WS CIN 7 24 4 3 2 0 0 1 6 3 0.125

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 2527 2472 5742 6967 244 1505
3B 3 2 1 2 1 0
OF 16 15 15 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1963 HOU 2B 7 6 15 15 3 2
1964 HOU 2B 10 10 31 25 3 4
1965 HOU 2B 157 155 348 492 27 82
1966 HOU 2B 117 117 256 316 21 61
1967 HOU 2B 130 126 297 344 14 67
1967 HOU OF 1 1 2 0 0 0
1968 HOU 2B 5 5 9 6 2 2
1968 HOU OF 1 1 1 0 0 0
1969 HOU 2B 132 131 303 328 18 79
1969 HOU OF 14 13 12 0 0 0
1970 HOU 2B 142 141 349 430 17 98
1971 HOU 2B 157 153 336 482 12 93
1972 CIN 2B 149 148 370 436 8 92
1973 CIN 2B 154 151 417 440 9 106
1974 CIN 2B 142 140 344 385 13 92
1975 CIN 2B 142 141 356 425 11 96
1976 CIN 2B 133 131 342 335 13 85
1977 CIN 2B 151 147 351 359 5 100
1978 CIN 2B 124 120 252 290 11 49
1979 CIN 2B 121 120 259 329 12 74
1980 HOU 2B 130 123 244 348 7 68
1981 SFN 2B 87 84 177 258 4 61
1982 SFN 2B 120 117 254 364 7 69
1982 SFN 3B 3 2 1 2 1 0
1983 PHI 2B 117 109 231 331 17 63
1984 OAK 2B 100 97 201 229 10 62

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Second Base 2526
Third Base 3
Left Field 14
Center Field 2
Designated Hitter 5

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1983 Player of the Week Week of 1983-09-23
1982 Silver Slugger 2B
1982 TSN Comeback Player of the Year
1977 Gold Glove 2B
1977 TSN All-Star 2B
1976 Gold Glove 2B
1976 Most Valuable Player
1976 Player of the Month August
1976 TSN All-Star 2B
1976 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1975 Gold Glove 2B
1975 Most Valuable Player
1975 Player of the Month April
1975 Player of the Month June
1975 Player of the Week Week of 1975-06-27
1975 TSN All-Star 2B
1975 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1975 TSN Player of the Year
1974 Gold Glove 2B
1974 TSN All-Star 2B
1973 Gold Glove 2B
1973 Player of the Week Week of 1973-08-24
1972 All-Star Game MVP
1972 TSN All-Star 2B
1965 TSN Rookie Player of the Year

Featured In Rankings

#2
Top 20 Second Basemen in history of MLB Baseball
Ranked 2 of 20
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College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Merritt College Oakland CA 1962

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1982 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 17.0 336 0
1976 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 311.0 336 19
1975 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 321.0 336 21
1974 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 72.0 336 0
1973 Most Valuable Player NL 4th 102.0 336 1
1972 Most Valuable Player NL 4th 197.0 336 5
1965 Most Valuable Player NL 31th 1.0 280 0
1965 Rookie of the Year NL 2nd 4.0 20 4