Morris Nettles is a former Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 outfielder

Outfielder

Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...

 who played two seasons with the California Angels in the mid-1970s.

Nettles was drafted by the Angels in the second round of the 1970 Major League Baseball Draft

1970 Major League Baseball Draft

-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1970 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The regular and secondary phases of the January draft proved more fruitful to major league clubs than the June draft...

 out of Venice High School in Culver City, California

Culver City, California

Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...

. A speedy runner with good range in the outfield

Outfield

The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...

, he batted over .300 in the Angels' farm system to earn a roster spot with the Angels coming out of Spring training

Spring training

In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...

 . He was demoted back to the triple A Salt Lake City Angels

Salt Lake City Angels

The Salt Lake City Angels, a former member of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, were a minor league affiliate of the California Angels from 1971 to 1974. The won the PCL title in 1971.-Notable players:Some notable players from the Salt Lake City Angels:...

 at the end of May with a .222 batting average

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

, three extra base hits, seven runs scored and one stolen base

Stolen base

In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...

.

Nettles batted .328 with 26 stolen bases and 69 runs scored for Salt Lake City to earn a second chance with the big league club. He made the most of his second chance, batting .292 with nineteen stolen bases and scoring twenty runs

Run (baseball)

In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...

 at the top of the Angels' batting order.

Nettles was handed the centerfield

Centerfield

Centerfield is an album by musician John Fogerty, released in 1985. It was his most popular post-Creedence album, containing the hit singles "The Old Man Down the Road", "Rock and Roll Girls" and the title track "Centerfield". Fogerty played all the instruments on this album himself, thanks to...

 job heading into the campaign, but lost it to Mickey Rivers

Mickey Rivers

John Milton "Mickey" Rivers is a former Major League Baseball player from 1970-1984 for the California Angels, New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers...

 a month into the season. Playing one of the corner outfield positions and occasionally filling in for Rivers in center the rest of the way, Nettles batted .231 with fifty runs scored. He stole 22 bases, but was caught fifteen times. On December 11, 1975, he and Jim Spencer

Jim Spencer

James Lloyd Spencer was a Major League Baseball first baseman. Born in Hanover, Pennsylvania, the left-handed Spencer was recognized for his excellent fielding ability, but also served in later years as a designated hitter....

 were traded to the Chicago White Sox

Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

 for Steve Dunning

Steve Dunning

Steven John Dunning is a former professional baseball player who played seven seasons for the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, California Angels, Montreal Expos, and Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball...

 and Bill Melton

Bill Melton

William Edwin Melton , nicknamed "Beltin' Bill" or "Beltin' Melton", is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Chicago White Sox, California Angels and Cleveland Indians...

.

Nettles was one of many young outfielders competing for the White Sox's centerfield job in Spring training . With Chet Lemon

Chet Lemon

Chester Earl Lemon is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. A three time All-Star, he was a member of the World Series champion 1984 Detroit Tigers.-Early years:...

 eventually named the Chisox's centerfielder, Nettles split the season between the Toledo Mud Hens

Toledo Mud Hens

The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based approximately 50 miles to the north of Toledo. The current team is one of several...

 and Iowa Oaks, batting a combined .232 in his final professional season.