Friday, January 15, 1999
Morris returns to Reds as backup
Bowden tells former starter he won't start
BY JOHN ERARDI
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Hal Morris, who hit .309 in 472 at-bats with Kansas City last year, will be back in a Reds uniform this season.
The price of his one-year contract is $400,000, according to the Associated Press. Considering the major-league minimum is $200,000, twice that is a bargain for player who made $1 million last year.
As the average proves, the 33-year-old Morris can still hit, although he'll be doing most of it off the bench or in a spot-starting role, unless somebody is hurt or slumping.
“The most important thing was (Morris') acceptance of a backup role,” Reds General Manager Jim Bowden said Thursday. “Once he accepted he wouldn't be competing (for a starting job) at first base or left field, negotiations moved forward quickly.”
Times have changed in Reds land.
When the Reds bought out the last year of Morris' contract after the 1997 season, they were hoping the younger Eduardo Perez would do the job. Now, it's Sean Casey who is the first baseman and one of the team's building blocks for the future. The fixture in left field is Dmitri Young.
“It's important to have a good influence on young players when you're in the rebuilding process,” Bowden said. “Hal's one of the guys who gives us that. He has great class and character and a work ethic that is unsurpassed.”
Morris is a career .306 hitter. He had 27 doubles last year but only one home run. He has a World Championship ring from 1990 as a Red, and three divisional titles here.
He will give Reds manager Jack McKeon a good left-handed pinch-hitter and someone who can be used in double switches since he is still sound defensively, Bowden said.
Bowden has had conversations with Cincinnati native Tim Naehring, the former Boston infielder. But economics rules out former Mets infielder Carlos Baerga, who the Reds GM was hoping to low-ball into a Reds uniform.
Former Red Willie Greene probably won't be returning here, either, because seven clubs are competing for the third baseman/outfielder.
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 Morris returns to Reds as backup
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