My First Cards

A bit of a journeyman. Signed by the Mets. Debuted in the majors as a Padre in ’69. Traded to the Cubs after 5 years. Spent 4 years there, earning a trip to the All-Star game in ’77, before spending a year in St Louis. Then spent a year in Detroit.Then a year for the team that originally drafted him, the Mets, before returning to the Cubs in ’81.

1981 had been the best season for Jerry since he was with the Cubs a few years earlier. 1982, was even better, even though his playing time was limited. He was on the downside of his career by this time, but he made the most of his opportunities. He came to the plate 45 times that year with RISP (runners in scoring position), he turned in a beautiful .450 BA & .489 OBP, which was way above his career numbers for that.

I find it interesting he did his best hitting during day games, posting a .278/.330/.413 batting line. That explains why his best years were for the Cubbies, who still didn’t have lights at Wrigley until 5 years after Morales retired. Another thing that made him a good Cub, was his penchant for slamming the rival Cardinals. He hit .327/.382/.461, smacking 114 hits in 115 games.

No wonder Bleed Cubbie Blue ranks Jerry as the 92nd best Cub ever.