Jerry Morales
| Jerry Morales | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Outfielder | |||
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Born: February 18, 1949 Yabucoa, Puerto Rico |
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| MLB debut | |||
| September 5, 1969, for the San Diego Padres | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 28, 1983, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .259 | ||
| Home runs | 95 | ||
| Runs batted in | 570 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
Julio Ruben "Jerry" Morales Torres (born February 18, 1949) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1969-1983.
Morales was originally signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent at the age of 17 in 1966. He went to the San Diego Padres in 1968 as a choice in that year's expansion draft, and spent several seasons going up and down in the Padres' farm system, finally becoming a semiregular in 1972 and 1973, leading Tribune reporter Richard Dozer to ask, "Who's Jerry Morales?" in the lead to his November 13, 1973, Tribune article on the Cubs' trade of Glenn Beckert (and minor league infielder Bobby Fenwick) to San Diego for a 24-year-old center fielder, Morales, who ended up playing seven seasons for the Cubs. During his two stints for the Cubs, 1973-1977 & 1981-1983, Morales was a consistent and quiet outfielder (he played all three outfield positions) with above average speed and a good glove. He was known for his unusual "basket catch" style. Unless he was running when he caught a ball, he always made a two-handed basket catch, directly in front of his body, below the belt.
At the time of the Beckert deal, Cubs General Manager John Holland believed acquiring Morales was "in line with our movement for youth and speed" (Dozer, 11/13/73). In the same offseason, the Cubs also moved Ferguson Jenkins, and, at the time of this trade, speculation was that by acquiring Morales, Billy Williams would either be moved to first or traded. By trading Jenkins and Beckert, the Cubs payroll decreased (Fergie's and Beckert's salaries totaled over $200,000).
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