Joe Morgan: A Legendary Second Baseman in MLB History (1943–2020)

Joe Leonard Morgan, one of the best second-basemen in Major League Baseball history, was born on September 19, 1943. A native of Bonham, Texas, Morgan was the oldest of Ollie Mae (Cook) and Leonard Morgan’s six children. When he was five years old, he moved with his family from Bonham to Oakland, California, where he stood out in the Babe Ruth League, high school (he led Castlemont High School to a city championship), and college (Oakland City College, later Merritt College). As was often the case with smaller players (Morgan stood 5’7” and weighed 140 pounds, though he eventually filled out to 160 pounds), he was overlooked by scouts. Nevertheless, in 1962 he came to the attention of Bill Wight, a scout for the Houston Colt .45s, who were playing their first season in Houston. According to Morgan, Wight was the only scout who characterized him as a “good player,” while others referred to him as a “good little player.” Though Wight had some misgivings about Morgan’s defensive capabilities, Colts general manager Paul Richards reportedly told him, “[I]f you’re going to make a mistake, make it signing him, don’t make it not signing him.” Wight signed Morgan to a minor league contract paying $500 per month with a $3,000 bonus.

Batting better than .300 in the low minors (the Modesto Colts of the California League and the Durham Bulls of the Carolina League) in 1963, Morgan received a late-season call-up to the big leagues. He made his Houston debut on September 21, 1963, two days after his twentieth birthday. The next day he delivered a game-winning base hit against the Philadelphia Phillies. After the walk-off loss, Phillies’ manager Gene Mauch reportedly overturned the post-game buffet in the visitors’ clubhouse and fumed about the club being beaten by a “little leaguer.” Five days later (September 27), Morgan took part in a meaningless game (the Colts, with a 64–95 record, took on the New York Mets, who had a 50–109 record) that set a major league record. Showcasing their ability to build interest in the team’s future, the Colts fielded an all-rookie lineup for the first time in major league history. The average age of nineteen years and four months was the youngest-ever starting lineup.

Morgan spent most of the 1964 season with the San Antonio Bullets of the Texas League. Overcoming a hitless week to start the season, he ended up with a batting average of .323, twelve home runs, forty-seven stolen bases, and ninety runs batted in (RBI). He led the league with forty-two doubles and was voted the league’s Most Valuable Player. That performance earned him another late-season call-up to Houston. He never returned to the minor leagues.

In 1965 Morgan became the full-time second basemen with the Astros, as the team was known after the opening of the Astrodome that year. He took over the position from veteran Nellie Fox (inducted posthumously into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997), who was in the twilight of his career. Fox served as a mentor for Morgan and even inspired his famous “chicken flap” at the plate. Fox suggested Morgan flap his left arm (he batted left-handed) while waiting for the pitch to help him elevate his elbow before he swung. During Morgan’s first full season with the Astros, he scored 100 runs, hit 14 home runs, and batted .271. Nevertheless, another second baseman, Jim Lefebvre of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was awarded the National League Rookie of the Year award. However, Morgan was the second baseman on the 1965 Topps All-Star Rookie team. Significantly, Morgan led the National League in walks with ninety-seven in 1965. By exercising discipline at the plate, he used his small stature to advantage, as National League pitchers had a smaller strike zone to deal with. During his career he drew more than 100 walks twice with the Astros and six times with the Cincinnati Reds. As of 2024 he was fifth all-time in career walks with 1,865. Only Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Rickey Henderson, and Barry Bonds were ahead of him.

Through 1971 in Houston, Morgan was a solid player but not a star (though he was a member of the National League All-Star squad in 1966 and 1970). He accrued 860 hits while compiling a .263 batting average with sixty-one home runs. Turning twenty-eight years old towards the end of the 1971 season, he had one of his better seasons. He drove in a career-best (at the time) fifty-six runs and led the league in triples with eleven. However, he suffered the disapproval of manager Harry Walker and was traded to the Cincinnati Reds before the 1972 season.

While the Colts/Astros had never had a winning season, the Reds were in the early years of a dynasty. During the 1970s the Reds averaged ninety-five wins per season. They won six National League West Division titles (1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, and 1979), four National League pennants (1970, 1972, 1975, and 1976), and two World Series (1975 and 1976). In Morgan’s first season with the team, he led the National League in runs, walks, and on-base percentage. He became part of what was known as the Big Red Machine, which included three other future Hall-of-Famers: manager Sparky Anderson, catcher Johnny Bench, and first baseman Tony Perez. The team also included Major League Baseball’s all-time leader in hits, Pete Rose, who was made ineligible for the Hall of Fame for gambling on the Reds when he served as manager towards the end of his career. Morgan was an All-Star every season he spent with the Reds (1972–79), earned five consecutive Gold Glove Awards (1973–77), and won two National League Most Valuable Player Awards (1975 and 1976). He led the league in on-base percentage four times during his tenure with the team. For good measure, he stole 406 bases (slightly better than fifty per season) while with the Reds. In a 1976 Sports Illustrated cover story, Morgan was rated “baseball’s most complete player.” He had lesser seasons in 1978 and 1979, and the Reds did not attempt to re-sign him when his contract ran out.

In 1980 Morgan signed a one-year contract with his old team, the Astros, who were now pennant contenders. In 1979 they had finished 1½ games behind the Reds for the National League West division championship. After the season, they signed not only Morgan but Nolan Ryan, a baseball legend in progress as well as a local (he had grown up in nearby Alvin) whose contract made him the first $1 million-per-year player in Major League Baseball. In 1980 attendance eclipsed 2 million for the first time since 1965, the year the Astrodome opened. The Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers finished with identical records of 92–70, necessitating a one-game playoff at Dodger Stadium. The Astros defeated the Dodgers 7–1 and advanced to the National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Neither team had ever won a World Series (while the Astros were making their first post-season appearance, the Phillies had lost the National League Championship Series in 1976, 1977, and 1978, as well as the World Series in 1915 and 1950). The best-of-five series proved to be one of the most dramatic in baseball history, with four games (the most in any post-season series) going into extra innings. The Phillies won the fifth game in the tenth inning to earn the National League pennant.

While Morgan had proved himself useful to the Astros, he did not get along with manager Bill Virdon and was not brought back for the 1981 season. Morgan spent 1981 and 1982 with the San Francisco Giants. In the latter year he enjoyed a decent season (.289 batting average, fourteen home runs, and sixty-one runs batted in) as the Giants finished just two games behind the division-winning Atlanta Braves. Nevertheless, Morgan, age thirty-nine, was traded for the second time in his career, this time to the Phillies, where he reunited with Tony Perez, age forty-one, and Pete Rose, age forty-two. Though all three were past their prime, the Phillies won the 1983 National League Championship Series. The Phillies advanced to the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles and gave Morgan the opportunity to appear in one more World Series, his fourth. He played errorless ball and hit two home runs, but the Phillies lost in five games. Morgan was the second oldest man to hit a home run in a World Series (Enos Slaughter of the New York Yankees was several months older when he hit a home run in the 1956 World Series). Released by the Phillies after the World Series, Morgan signed with the Oakland Athletics before the 1984 season and finished his playing career in his hometown.

Famed baseball statistician Bill James made the case that Morgan was the best second baseman of all time. According to his criteria, Morgan surpassed such stellar performers as Napoleon Lajoie, the position’s all-time RBI leader with 1,599; Rogers Hornsby, who led the field in home runs (301) as well as batting average (.358), on-base percentage (.434), and slugging average (.577); and Eddie Collins, who was the position leader in hits (3,315), runs (1,821), and stolen bases (741).

When his playing career was over, Morgan remained in baseball. He chose to embark on a broadcasting career, starting with the Reds in 1985, his first season after retiring as a player. Later he worked for the Giants and the A’s and also worked for national telecasts on ABC, NBC, and ESPN. His time with NBC included coverage of three World Series (1995, 1997, and 1999) and four All-Star Games (1994, 1996, 1998, and 2000).

Following his retirement as player, Morgan also completed his college education. In 1990 he earned his bachelor's degree from California State University, Hayward (later California State University, East Bay). He authored or contributed to several books on baseball, including an autobiography, Joe Morgan: A Life in Baseball (1993). Morgan became a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s board of directors in 1994 and was elected vice-chair in 2000. He also served on the boards of several charitable and civic organizations, including the Jackie Robinson Foundation and the Baseball Assistance Team.

Twice married (to Gloria Stewart in 1967 and to Theresa Behmyer in 1990), Morgan was the father of four daughters: Lisa and Angela with his first wife, and twins Kelly Ann and Ashley with his second wife. In 2015 Morgan was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes. He died at age seventy-seven on October 11, 2020, in Danville, California, and was buried at Rolling Hills Memorial Park in Richmond, California.

The Cincinnati Reds inducted Morgan into the team’s hall of fame in 1987 and retired his number (8) in 1998. He was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 1990, his first year of eligibility. He was also inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Houston Astros Hall of Fame in 2019. In 2013 a statute of Morgan was unveiled at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.