José Morales

Who is José Morales?

José Manuel Morales Hernández is a former designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for five different teams between 1973 and 1984. Listed at 5' 11", 187 lb., Morales batted and threw right-handed.

Morales spent nine seasons in the minor leagues before turning as one of the premier pinch-hitters in major league history. One main problem held up his advance: as a catcher, he was a defensive liability, leading four different minor leagues in errors. Indeed, during his majors career, he appeared in the field in only 104 of his 733 total games, and he never collected more than 242 at-bats during a regular season. He is often referred as a "a catcher by trade", though first base was his most frequent defensive position in the majors and eventually at left field. He played much more at DH than at any fielding position.

Morales started playing sandlot baseball in his homeland before signing his first professional contract to play in Puerto Rico in late 1963. Over his two decades-plus in the Puerto Rican Winter League, he collected a .290 batting average with 84 home runs and 467 RBI.