Vern Morgan
Encyclopedia
Vernon Thomas Morgan was an American
third baseman
and coach
in Major League Baseball
, and a manager and longtime player (1948-64) at the minor league level
. A native of Emporia, Virginia
, who attended the University of Richmond
, Morgan threw right-handed, batted left-handed, stood 6'1" (185 cm) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg).
Morgan's major league playing career consisted of 31 games and 71 at bats for the 1954
-55
Chicago Cubs
. Morgan collected 16 hits, including two doubles
, and drove in three runs, batting
.225. In 1956, he was acquired by the Washington Senators
organization, and he would spend the rest of his baseball career in the employ of the franchise (which became the Minnesota Twins
in 1961). Morgan played for the Senators' Double-A farm club, the Chattanooga Lookouts
of the Southern Association
, from 1956 through mid-1960. As a 28-year-old veteran, Morgan had his best minor-league season for the 1957 Lookouts, batting .332 with 14 home runs and 92 RBI and making the SA all-star team as an outfielder
.
Morgan would play in the minor leagues for 15 seasons and batted .301 in 5,273 at bats, but he never made Washington's Major League roster and in 1961 he became a manager in the newly-relocated Twins' farm system. Morgan managed for eight seasons in the Alabama-Florida League
, Northern League
and Carolina League
— compiling a won/loss mark of 488-540 (.475) — until he was appointed to the Minnesota MLB coaching staff for 1969. He served as the Twins' first base coach for almost seven seasons, until he was forced to the sidelines by kidney disease in September 1975. Morgan received a kidney transplant
during the autumn of 1975, but complications from the transplant proved fatal; he died in Minneapolis, Minnesota
, at the age of 47.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
and coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
in 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...
, and a manager and longtime player (1948-64) at the minor league level
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
. A native of Emporia, Virginia
Emporia, Virginia
Emporia is an independent city located within the confines of Greensville County, Virginia, United States. The population was estimated to be 5,927 in 2010. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Emporia with surrounding Greensville county for statistical purposes...
, who attended the University of Richmond
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
, Morgan threw right-handed, batted left-handed, stood 6'1" (185 cm) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg).
Morgan's major league playing career consisted of 31 games and 71 at bats for the 1954
1954 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:* World Series: New York Giants over Cleveland Indians * All-Star Game, July 13 at Municipal Stadium: American League, 11-9-Other champions:* Caribbean World Series: Caguas Creoles [Criollos de Caguas]...
-55
1955 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers over New York Yankees ; Johnny Podres, MVP*All-Star Game, July 12 at County Stadium: National League, 6-5 -Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Cangrejeros de Santurce...
Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
. Morgan collected 16 hits, including two doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, and drove in three runs, batting
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 :...
.225. In 1956, he was acquired by the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
organization, and he would spend the rest of his baseball career in the employ of the franchise (which became the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
in 1961). Morgan played for the Senators' Double-A farm club, the Chattanooga Lookouts
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
of the Southern Association
Southern Association
The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A , Class A1 and Class AA...
, from 1956 through mid-1960. As a 28-year-old veteran, Morgan had his best minor-league season for the 1957 Lookouts, batting .332 with 14 home runs and 92 RBI and making the SA all-star team as an 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...
.
Morgan would play in the minor leagues for 15 seasons and batted .301 in 5,273 at bats, but he never made Washington's Major League roster and in 1961 he became a manager in the newly-relocated Twins' farm system. Morgan managed for eight seasons in the Alabama-Florida League
Alabama-Florida League
The Alabama–Florida League was a low-level circuit in American minor league baseball that existed from 1936 through 1939 and 1951 through 1962. In 1940–1941 and from 1946–1950, the absence of clubs based in Florida caused the league to change its name to the Alabama State League.The Class D loop's...
, Northern League
Northern League (baseball, 1902-71)
This article refers to the original incarnations of the Northern League, which operated between 1902 and 1971. For the more recent league, see Northern League ...
and Carolina League
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic Coast of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
— compiling a won/loss mark of 488-540 (.475) — until he was appointed to the Minnesota MLB coaching staff for 1969. He served as the Twins' first base coach for almost seven seasons, until he was forced to the sidelines by kidney disease in September 1975. Morgan received a kidney transplant
Kidney transplantation
Kidney transplantation or renal transplantation is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage renal disease. Kidney transplantation is typically classified as deceased-donor or living-donor transplantation depending on the source of the donor organ...
during the autumn of 1975, but complications from the transplant proved fatal; he died in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, at the age of 47.