Joe Morgan was the best player on the best team of the 1970s. I watched more of the Big Red Machine than any team besides the Royals. His prime was amazing. He was my favorite player on those teams. A thread…

Morgan was traded to Cincinnati in November of 1971 as part of an eight-player blockbuster that saw Tommy Helms and Lee May go to Houston. Morgan was a really good player for Houston, but once joined the Reds, he elevated.

National League, 1972
Steve Carlton - 12.5 bWAR
Joe Morgan 9.2 bWAR
Johnny Bench 8.6 bWAR

Bench won the NL MVP.

I enjoy going back thru @baseball_ref looking at old awards voting and trying to decipher why a particular player won. Not difficult with Bench in '72. He hit 40 HRs, had 125 RBI & 100 walks as the Reds won 95 games and the NL West. Plus, he had the MVP pedigree, winning in 1970.

National League, 1973
Tom Seaver - 11.0 bWAR
Joe Morgan - 9.3 bWAR
Pete Rose - 8.3 bWAR

Rose won the NL MVP.

The Reds were an even better team in ’73, winning 99 games and the division. Rose led the NL with 230 hits & with a .338 batting average. Charlie Hustle and all that.

National League, 1974
Mike Schmidt - 9.7 bWAR
Jon Matlack - 9.1 bWAR
Joe Morgan - 8.6 bWAR

Steve Garvey (4.4 bWAR) won the NL MVP.

Garvey had 200 hits in ’74 and drove in 111 runs. He was a write-in candidate at first base for the NL All-Stars that summer. The Dodgers won 102 games and finished four games ahead of the Reds.

National League, 1975
Joe Morgan - 11.0 bWAR
Tom Seaver - 7.8 bWAR
Mike Schmidt - 7.7 bWAR

Morgan won his first NL MVP.

This was the finest season of Morgan’s already fantastic career to that point. He led the NL with a .466 OBP & 169 OPS+ as the Reds won a franchise-record 108 games & won the World Series for the first time since 1940. He hit 3rd for one of the greatest teams in baseball history.

National League, 1976
Joe Morgan - 9.6 bWAR
Mike Schmidt - 8.0 bWAR
Pete Rose - 7.0 bWAR

Morgan won his second consecutive NL MVP. The first back to back winner since Ernie Banks in 1958 & ’59.

The 1976 season was the best of Morgan’s career. He led the league with a .444 OBP and a .576 SLG, along with a 187 OPS+. The Reds won 102 games and swept to their second consecutive World Series title.

In those five seasons (1972-1976), Morgan hit .303/.431/.499 with an OPS+ of 163. He averaged 22 HRs, 118 walks and 62 steals a year. While striking out on average 53 times.

The Reds averaged 100 wins, won four NL West titles, three NL pennants & two World Championships.

He is, in my mind, the greatest second baseman to ever play this game. RIP Joe Morgan. Thank you for all the thrills.