Jerry Morales

Morales was originally signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent at the age of 17 in 1966. He went to the San Diego Padres in 1968 as a choice in that year\'s expansion draft, and spent several seasons going up and down in the Padres\' farm system, finally becoming a semiregular in 1972 and 1973, leading Tribune reporter Richard Dozer to ask, "Who\'s Jerry Morales?" in the lead to his November 13, 1973, Tribune article on the Cubs\' trade of Glenn Beckert (and minor league infielder Bobby Fenwick) to San Diego for a 24-year-old center fielder, Morales, who ended up playing seven seasons for the Cubs. During his two stints for the Cubs, 1973-1977 & 1981-1983, Morales was a consistent and quiet outfielder (he played all three outfield positions) with above average speed and a good glove. He was known for his unusual "basket catch" style. Unless he was running when he caught a ba…