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{{Short description|American baseball player}}
{{short description|American baseball player (born 1965)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Hal Morris
|name=Hal Morris
|image=Hal Morris Columbus Clippers.jpg
|image=Hal Morris Columbus Clippers.jpg
|caption=Morris with the [[Columbus Clippers]] in 1988
|position=[[First baseman]]
|position=[[First baseman]]
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1965|4|9}}
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1965|4|9}}
|birth_place=[[Fort Rucker, Alabama]]
|birth_place=[[Fort Rucker, Alabama]], U.S.
|bats=Left
|bats=Left
|throws=Left
|throws=Left
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* [[World Series]] champion ({{wsy|1990}})
* [[World Series]] champion ({{wsy|1990}})
}}
}}
'''William Harold Morris III''' (born April 9, 1965) is an American former [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) [[first baseman]] who played for several teams from 1988 to 2000, including an eight-year stint with the [[Cincinnati Reds]]. From {{baseball year|2012}} until 2016, he was the director of professional [[scout (sports)|scouting]] for the [[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim|Los Angeles Angels]].<ref>[http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/7234433/los-angeles-angels-hire-hal-morris-direct-pro-scouting espn.com 2011.11.14]</ref>
'''William Harold Morris III''' (born April 9, 1965) is an American former [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) [[first baseman]] who played for several teams from 1988 to 2000, including a ten year stint with the [[Cincinnati Reds]]. From {{baseball year|2012}} until 2016, he was the director of professional [[scout (sports)|scouting]] for the [[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim|Los Angeles Angels]].<ref>[https://www.espn.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/7234433/los-angeles-angels-hire-hal-morris-direct-pro-scouting espn.com 2011.11.14]</ref>


==High school and college career==
==High school and college career==
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Morris played for the [[New York Yankees]], the [[Cincinnati Reds]], the [[Kansas City Royals]] and [[Detroit Tigers]]. Morris was known for his unusual hitting technique, in which his feet never settled as the pitcher delivered the ball, so his swing was preceded by his feet shuffling towards the plate. Morris was not known for his power, but he had the ability to spray the ball to all corners of the ballpark. He also appeared on the cover of [[Wheaties]].
Morris played for the [[New York Yankees]], the [[Cincinnati Reds]], the [[Kansas City Royals]] and [[Detroit Tigers]]. Morris was known for his unusual hitting technique, in which his feet never settled as the pitcher delivered the ball, so his swing was preceded by his feet shuffling towards the plate. Morris was not known for his power, but he had the ability to spray the ball to all corners of the ballpark. He also appeared on the cover of [[Wheaties]].


In a 13 year major league career, Morris posted a .304 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] with 76 [[home runs]] and 513 [[Run batted in|RBI]] in 1,246 [[games played]]. Defensively, he was a solid first baseman, posting a .994 [[fielding percentage]] at that position.
In a 13 year major league career, Morris posted a .304 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] with 76 [[home runs]] and 513 [[Run batted in|RBI]] in 1,246 [[games played]]. Defensively, he was a solid first baseman, posting a .994 [[fielding percentage]] at that position.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://baseball-reference.com/players/m/morriha02.shtml|title=Hal Morris Career Statistics at Baseball-Reference|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=September 28, 2022}}</ref>


===New York Yankees===
===New York Yankees===
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[[File:Hal-morris cincinnati 1990.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Morris was part of the World Champion Cincinnati Reds in 1990]]
[[File:Hal-morris cincinnati 1990.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Morris was part of the World Champion Cincinnati Reds in 1990]]
On December 12, 1989. Morris was traded, along with Rodney Imes to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Tim Leary and outfielder Van Snyder.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=morriha02|title = Hal Morris Trades and Transactions by Baseball Almanac}}</ref> The trade proved beneficial for the Reds as Morris was a part of the 1990 Cincinnati Reds, which won the World Series. He hit .340 on the year, which, at the time, was the third highest batting average by a rookie in 50 years. Also, his 136 OPS+ led the team. His sacrifice fly in game 4 turned out to be the series-winning RBI.
On December 12, 1989. Morris was traded, along with Rodney Imes to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Tim Leary and outfielder Van Snyder.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=morriha02|title = Hal Morris Trades and Transactions by Baseball Almanac}}</ref> The trade proved beneficial for the Reds as Morris was a part of the 1990 Cincinnati Reds, who won the World Series. He hit .340 on the year, which, at the time, was the third highest batting average by a rookie in 50 years. Also, his 136 OPS+ led the team. His sacrifice fly in game 4 turned out to be the series-winning RBI.


While the Reds failed to repeat their World Series win in 1991, Morris had another strong season, finishing one point behind Atlanta's [[Terry Pendleton]] in the battle for the National League hitting crown. Morris ended the year at .318, while Pendleton finished at .319.
While the Reds failed to repeat their World Series win in 1991, Morris had another strong season, finishing one point behind Atlanta's [[Terry Pendleton]] in the battle for the National League hitting crown. Morris ended the year at .318, while Pendleton finished at .319.
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Until [[Casey McGehee]] failed to make the All Star team in 2014, Morris had been the last player to be leading his league in hits at the All Star break and not do so. In 1994, Morris was hitting .358 with 120 hits at the All Star break, but was not selected to the team. Morris was named the 1994 Reds MVP by the Cincinnati Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Until [[Casey McGehee]] failed to make the All Star team in 2014, Morris had been the last player to be leading his league in hits at the All Star break and not do so. In 1994, Morris was hitting .358 with 120 hits at the All Star break, but was not selected to the team. Morris was named the 1994 Reds MVP by the Cincinnati Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.


On November 2, 1995, Morris became a free agent but was resigned by the Reds on December 6, 1995. Morris compiled a 32-game hitting streak from August 26, 1996 to April 3, 1997. This streak is the longest by a first baseman in the modern era of Major League baseball.
On November 2, 1995, Morris became a free agent but was re-signed by the Reds on December 6, 1995. Morris compiled a 32-game hitting streak from August 26, 1996 to April 3, 1997. This streak is the longest by a first baseman in the modern era of Major League baseball.
His .319 average at [[Riverfront Stadium]] was the highest by any Reds player in the history of the stadium.
His .319 average at [[Riverfront Stadium]] was the highest by any Reds player in the history of the stadium.


===Kansas City===
===Kansas City Royals===
Morris was again granted free agency on October 29, 1997, signing with Kansas City in December of that year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=morriha02|title = Hal Morris Trades and Transactions by Baseball Almanac}}</ref> He played as a DH, and he hit .309, although his power numbers had dropped. He stayed with Kansas City for one year, before again becoming a free agent. Due to his power number drop off, his next contract would be for less money.
Morris was again granted free agency on October 29, 1997, signing with Kansas City in December of that year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=morriha02|title = Hal Morris Trades and Transactions by Baseball Almanac}}</ref> He played as a DH, and he hit .309, although his power numbers had dropped. He stayed with Kansas City for one year, before again becoming a free agent. Due to his power number drop off, his next contract would be for less money.


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==Retirement==
==Retirement==
[[Kirk Radomski]] alleged that he sold Morris [[Deca-Durabolin]] and [[testosterone]] in 1999. Morris' name and address were listed in a book seized from Radomski's home. Through a lawyer, Morris denied using [[performance-enhancing substance]]s during his career but did not specifically deny buying or possessing them or meeting with Radomski.<ref>{{cite report |last=Mitchell |first=George |author-link=George J. Mitchell |date=December 13, 2007 |title=Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball |url=https://files.mlb.com/mitchrpt.pdf |publisher=[[Office of the Commissioner of Baseball]] |pages=164–65 |docket= |access-date=October 26, 2023}}</ref>
In 2007, Morris was named in the [[List of Major League Baseball players named in the Mitchell Report|Mitchell Report]], alleging that he was a recipient of [[Deca-Durabolin]] and testosterone from [[Kirk Radomski]] in 1999. Morris, in a statement submitted to US Senator and report conductor [[George J. Mitchell|George Mitchell]], denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs.<ref>http://assets.espn.go.com/media/pdf/071213/mitchell_report.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>


After retiring, Morris continued his education by graduating with a [[Bachelor of Science|BS]] in Biology from the University of Michigan, and an [[MBA]] from Stanford University. Morris has been involved in a variety of real estate and technology ventures, and has been an advisor to Montara Capital Partners, a boutique private equity firm focused on 1031 exchange and tax advantaged real estate transactions. Before joining the Angels in November 2011, he was a professional scout for the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] for two seasons and the [[Boston Red Sox]] for one ({{baseball year|2011}}).<ref>[https://archive.today/20120907212712/http://www.necn.com/09/11/10/Red-Sox-notes-Kalish-learning-on-the-job/landing_sports.html?blockID=308912&feedID=6097 New England Cable News, 11 September 2010]</ref> His brother, Bobby, played professional baseball between 1993 and 2001.<ref>{{cite interview |last=Morris|first=Bobby|interviewer=Ira Glass |title=Living Without (2011) |publisher =WBEZ |location=Chicago |date=2011-09-18 |work=This American Life}}</ref> Morris served as the pro scouting director for the [[Los Angeles Angels]] from 2011-2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/hal-morris|title = Hal Morris Rumors - MLB Trade Rumors}}</ref>
After retiring, Morris continued his education by graduating with a [[Bachelor of Science|BS]] in Biology from the University of Michigan, and an [[MBA]] from Stanford University. Morris has been involved in a variety of real estate and technology ventures, and has been an advisor to Montara Capital Partners, a boutique private equity firm focused on 1031 exchange and tax advantaged real estate transactions. Before joining the Angels in November 2011, he was a professional scout for the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] for two seasons and the [[Boston Red Sox]] for one ({{baseball year|2011}}).<ref>[https://archive.today/20120907212712/http://www.necn.com/09/11/10/Red-Sox-notes-Kalish-learning-on-the-job/landing_sports.html?blockID=308912&feedID=6097 New England Cable News, 11 September 2010]</ref> His brother, Bobby, played professional baseball between 1993 and 2001.<ref>{{cite interview |last=Morris|first=Bobby|interviewer=Ira Glass |title=Living Without (2011) |publisher =WBEZ |location=Chicago |date=2011-09-18 |work=This American Life}}</ref> Morris served as the pro scouting director for the [[Los Angeles Angels]] from 2011–2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/hal-morris|title = Hal Morris Rumors - MLB Trade Rumors}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
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[[Category:Boston Red Sox scouts]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox scouts]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Angels scouts]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Angels scouts]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim scouts]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Pirates scouts]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Pirates scouts]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Alabama]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Alabama]]
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[[Category:Nashville Sounds players]]
[[Category:Nashville Sounds players]]
[[Category:People from Munster, Indiana]]
[[Category:People from Munster, Indiana]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Lake County, Indiana]]
[[Category:Harwich Mariners players]]
[[Category:Harwich Mariners players]]
[[Category:Albany-Colonie Yankees players]]
[[Category:Albany-Colonie Yankees players]]
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[[Category:Indianapolis Indians players]]
[[Category:Indianapolis Indians players]]
[[Category:Oneonta Yankees players]]
[[Category:Oneonta Yankees players]]
[[Category:Stanford Graduate School of Business alumni]]

Latest revision as of 00:31, 17 September 2024

Hal Morris
Morris with the Columbus Clippers in 1988
First baseman
Born: (1965-04-09) April 9, 1965 (age 59)
Fort Rucker, Alabama, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
July 29, 1988, for the New York Yankees
Last MLB appearance
October 1, 2000, for the Detroit Tigers
MLB statistics
Batting average.304
Home runs76
Runs batted in513
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards

William Harold Morris III (born April 9, 1965) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who played for several teams from 1988 to 2000, including a ten year stint with the Cincinnati Reds. From 2012 until 2016, he was the director of professional scouting for the Los Angeles Angels.[1]

High school and college career

[edit]

Morris attended Munster High School in Munster, Indiana, and the University of Michigan.[2] While at Munster, he was a three time all Lake Suburban Conference baseball player. He was an Indiana Baseball All Star in 1983, and was named the MVP of the annual North-South All Star Game in Jasper, Indiana, where he went 8-9 in the series. Morris captained the tennis, basketball, and baseball teams in his senior season at Munster.

His Michigan teams won the Big 10 Championship in 1984 and 1986, and advanced to the College World Series in 1984. In his first Big 10 start in 1984 versus Purdue University, Morris hit two home runs. Following his freshman year, he played for the Adray Sound team in the Adray Summer League in Detroit, MI, leading the league in hitting. Michigan's 1985 team lost to Mississippi State in the Southeast Regional. MSU featured future big league players Will Clark, Rafael Palmeiro, Bobby Thigpen and Jeff Brantley. Morris was named to the All Southeast Regional team for his performance, including back to back home runs off of Brantley in the championship game. Morris set records for slugging percentage and batting average while at Michigan. His teammates at Michigan included future Major League players Barry Larkin, Chris Sabo, Jim Abbott, Scott Kamieniecki, Mike Ignasiak, and Gary Wayne. In 1985, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[3]

Major League career

[edit]

Morris played for the New York Yankees, the Cincinnati Reds, the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers. Morris was known for his unusual hitting technique, in which his feet never settled as the pitcher delivered the ball, so his swing was preceded by his feet shuffling towards the plate. Morris was not known for his power, but he had the ability to spray the ball to all corners of the ballpark. He also appeared on the cover of Wheaties.

In a 13 year major league career, Morris posted a .304 batting average with 76 home runs and 513 RBI in 1,246 games played. Defensively, he was a solid first baseman, posting a .994 fielding percentage at that position.[4]

New York Yankees

[edit]

Morris was selected by the New York Yankees in the eighth round of the 1986 amateur draft. He was named the Rookie of the Year in the New York Penn League in 1986, set an Albany-Colonie Yankees record for hits in a season in 1987, was second in the International League in hitting in 1988, then led the International League in hitting in 1989 at .326. He debuted with the Yankees on July 29, 1988 against the Toronto Blue Jays at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. He collected a base hit in his first at bat, a single to left field against Toronto reliever Duane Ward. Morris was thought so highly of in the Yankee organization that they considered trading Don Mattingly to make room for him.

Cincinnati Reds

[edit]
Morris was part of the World Champion Cincinnati Reds in 1990

On December 12, 1989. Morris was traded, along with Rodney Imes to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Tim Leary and outfielder Van Snyder.[5] The trade proved beneficial for the Reds as Morris was a part of the 1990 Cincinnati Reds, who won the World Series. He hit .340 on the year, which, at the time, was the third highest batting average by a rookie in 50 years. Also, his 136 OPS+ led the team. His sacrifice fly in game 4 turned out to be the series-winning RBI.

While the Reds failed to repeat their World Series win in 1991, Morris had another strong season, finishing one point behind Atlanta's Terry Pendleton in the battle for the National League hitting crown. Morris ended the year at .318, while Pendleton finished at .319.

Until Casey McGehee failed to make the All Star team in 2014, Morris had been the last player to be leading his league in hits at the All Star break and not do so. In 1994, Morris was hitting .358 with 120 hits at the All Star break, but was not selected to the team. Morris was named the 1994 Reds MVP by the Cincinnati Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

On November 2, 1995, Morris became a free agent but was re-signed by the Reds on December 6, 1995. Morris compiled a 32-game hitting streak from August 26, 1996 to April 3, 1997. This streak is the longest by a first baseman in the modern era of Major League baseball. His .319 average at Riverfront Stadium was the highest by any Reds player in the history of the stadium.

Kansas City Royals

[edit]

Morris was again granted free agency on October 29, 1997, signing with Kansas City in December of that year.[6] He played as a DH, and he hit .309, although his power numbers had dropped. He stayed with Kansas City for one year, before again becoming a free agent. Due to his power number drop off, his next contract would be for less money.

Cincinnati Reds

[edit]

Morris re-signed with the Reds, playing the 1999 season with them and part of the 2000 season.

Detroit Tigers

[edit]

Morris was sold to the Tigers on July 18, 2000 and played with them for the rest of the season. Since 1961—the start of Major League Baseball's Expansion Era—Hal Morris and Derek Jeter are the only players with a minimum of 10 seasons in the Major Leagues who collected a game-ending RBI in their final home game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Morris did it with the Tigers with a pinch-hit single on Oct. 1, 2000, giving his team a 12-11 win over the Twins, while Jeter hit a game winning single against the Orioles in his final appearance at Yankee Stadium on September 25, 2014. For Morris, this was the final at bat of his career.

Morris was declared a free agent on November 1, 2000 and he retired.

Retirement

[edit]

Kirk Radomski alleged that he sold Morris Deca-Durabolin and testosterone in 1999. Morris' name and address were listed in a book seized from Radomski's home. Through a lawyer, Morris denied using performance-enhancing substances during his career but did not specifically deny buying or possessing them or meeting with Radomski.[7]

After retiring, Morris continued his education by graduating with a BS in Biology from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from Stanford University. Morris has been involved in a variety of real estate and technology ventures, and has been an advisor to Montara Capital Partners, a boutique private equity firm focused on 1031 exchange and tax advantaged real estate transactions. Before joining the Angels in November 2011, he was a professional scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates for two seasons and the Boston Red Sox for one (2011).[8] His brother, Bobby, played professional baseball between 1993 and 2001.[9] Morris served as the pro scouting director for the Los Angeles Angels from 2011–2016.[10]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ espn.com 2011.11.14
  2. ^ Alonzo, Anthony D. (January 15, 2014). "Bobby Morris takes over baseball training facility at Omni". Post-Tribune. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  3. ^ "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  4. ^ "Hal Morris Career Statistics at Baseball-Reference". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  5. ^ "Hal Morris Trades and Transactions by Baseball Almanac".
  6. ^ "Hal Morris Trades and Transactions by Baseball Almanac".
  7. ^ Mitchell, George (December 13, 2007). Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball (PDF) (Report). Office of the Commissioner of Baseball. pp. 164–65. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  8. ^ New England Cable News, 11 September 2010
  9. ^ Morris, Bobby (September 18, 2011). "Living Without (2011)". This American Life (Interview). Interviewed by Ira Glass. Chicago: WBEZ.
  10. ^ "Hal Morris Rumors - MLB Trade Rumors".
[edit]
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