Keith Moreland

From Sports Library

Bobby Keith Moreland (born May 2, 1954 in Dallas, Texas) is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and San Diego Padres. In 1989, the final year of his career, he played for the Detroit Tigers, then the Baltimore Orioles.

Moreland graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, and was drafted by the Phillies in the seventh round of the 1975 draft. He started out as a catcher, but the Phillies also played him at third base and first base as Bob Boone, one of the best defensive catchers of that era, was the catcher.

Moreland was traded to the Cubs along with Dan Larson and Dickie Noles for right-hander Mike Krukow during the offseason before the 1982 season. He was one of new general manager Dallas Green's first acquisitions. Green, Moreland's former manager in Philadelphia, acquired many other players from the Phillies organization, giving the Cubs the derisive nickname of Phillies West.

Moreland was the first starting catcher of Green's Cubs. Although Jody Davis had played well down the stretch in 1981, the Cubs rewarded Moreland with the job to begin the 1982 season. However, having a young, promising catcher riding the bench while left-fielder Steve Henderson struggled forced Green, Elia and the Cubs to move Moreland to left field in late April. Throughout 1982 and 1983, Moreland couldn't find a permanent home in the field as Davis was a better defensive catcher, yet third base and first base had full-timers like Ryne Sandberg, Ron Cey and Bill Buckner who were more skilled fielders. Moreland played a lot of outfield those first two years with the Cubs, and his fielding skills were so memorable that the late Steve Goodman made mention to them in A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request.

It wasn't until the trade of Mel Hall in June of 1984 that Moreland got a full-time job as the team's right fielder. Moreland was a key bat as he helped the Cubs win the 1984 National League Eastern Division championship. His best year was in 1985 with the Cubs, when he batted .307 (14 HR, 106 RBI, 12 SB).

It was during the '84 season when Moreland was involved in one of his most memorable moments as a Cub. On August 7th, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Mets, the Cubs scored 5 runs in the fourth inning. After a Ron Cey double brought home the fourth and fifth runs, Moreland stepped to the plate. The Cubs had overtaken the Mets for first place in the National League East earlier in the week, and had taken the first two games of the series at Wrigley, including Game 1 of the twinbill. New York's frustration had boiled over by this point when their starting pitcher--and future Cubs General Manager--Ed Lynch hit Moreland with a pitch. Instead of taking his base, however, Moreland instead charged the mound. Using the skills he employed while playing Division I football at Texas, Moreland tackled Lynch at the knees, and dropped him to the ground. The Cubs would go on to sweep the 4-game series from New York on their way to the Eastern Division crown, and the Moreland aggression served as a symbol that, unlike their 1969 counterparts, the 1984 Cubs were not about to fade away from New York.

Before the 1987 season, Andre Dawson signed as a Free Agent with the Cubs. As Dawson was far superior to Moreland defensively, Moreland was moved to third base for the '87 season. He hit 27 home runs and drove in 88 runs, but he struggled defensively at the hot corner. It would be Moreland's final season as a Cub, as he was traded to San Diego for Goose Gossage following the season.

Moreland served as San Diego's first baseman in '88 and was dealt to Detroit after the season where he was the Tigers' Designated Hitter. Later in the season, Moreland was dealt to Baltimore, where he finished out the season, and his career.

He is currently the color analyst for the radio broadcasts of Texas Longhorn football and baseball, as he is a former player for both teams. Template:Fact