What was Joe Morgan's Net Worth?
Joe Morgan was an American professional baseball player who had a net worth of $6 million at the time of his death. Joe Morgan played 22 MLB seasons from 1963 to 1984, mostly with the Houston Colt .45s / Astros and the Cincinnati Reds. With the Reds, he won the World Series in both 1975 and 1976, and was named the NL MVP in both years. Following his retirement from playing, Morgan became a baseball broadcaster with stints on ESPN, ABC, and NBC.
Early Life and Education
Joe Morgan was born on September 19, 1943 in Bonham, Texas as the eldest of six siblings. When he was five, he moved with his family to Oakland, California. Growing up, Morgan played American Legion Baseball. He was later a standout player at Castlemont High School, although he failed to receive any MLB offers due to his diminutive height of 5'7″. Morgan went on to play college baseball at Oakland City College.
Houston Colt .45s / Astros, 1963-1971
In 1962, Morgan was signed as an amateur free agent by MLB's Houston Colt .45s. He made his debut the next year, toward the end of the season in September. Morgan continued playing for Houston through 1971, amassing 72 home runs and 219 stolen bases. During his time with the team, he earned his first two All-Star selections, in 1966 and 1970. However, in the former year, he was forced to miss 40 games after he broke his kneecap during batting practice. Despite his successes, Morgan was considered to be a troublemaker by manager Harry Walker, and he was traded in late 1971.
Cincinnati Reds
Morgan was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in late 1971 as part of a huge multi-player deal that also saw the team welcome César Gerónimo, Jack Billingham, Denis Menke, and Ed Armbrister. With his trade, Morgan joined powerful leadoff hitter Pete Rose at the top of the Reds lineup. He became part of the "Big Red Machine," which went on to dominate the National League in the 1970s. Morgan helped the Reds win consecutive World Series in 1975 and 1976, and in the former year he drove in Ken Griffey for the winning run in Game 7. Moreover, in both years, Morgan was named the NL MVP. Combining his two MVP years, he batted .324 with 44 home runs and 205 RBI. Morgan was also a superior infielder, earning him five consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1973 to 1977. He finished his remarkable run with the Reds in 1979.
(Photo by: MLB via Getty Images)
Later Playing Years
In 1980, Morgan returned to the Houston Astros as a free agent on a one-season contract. He went on to help the team win the NL West en route to an appearance in the NLCS. In that series, the Astros lost to the Philadelphia Phillies. Morgan next played for the San Francisco Giants from 1981 to 1982. In the latter year, he won the Willie Mac Award. Subsequently, Morgan played one season with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1983. That year, the team won the NLCS and reached the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles. Morgan went 5-for-19 in the Series as the Orioles won in five games. He went on to finish his career in 1984 with the Oakland Athletics, batting .244 in 116 games.
Post-playing Career
In 1985, after retiring from playing, Morgan became a baseball broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds. He subsequently spent nine years as an announcer for the San Francisco Giants. Meanwhile, Morgan called Monday Night Baseball and College World Series games for ESPN, and also did announcing for ABC. Later, from 1994 to 2000, he called games on NBC. Morgan continued his work for ESPN until 2010, when he became a special advisor to baseball operations for the Cincinnati Reds. In 2011, he launched a syndicated sports-talk radio show on Sports USA.
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LAX Incident
In March of 1988, while moving through Los Angeles International Airport, Morgan was aggressively thrown to the ground and arrested by LAPD detectives who racially profiled him as a drug courier. He subsequently filed a civil rights suit against the LAPD, which he won.
Personal Life and Death
In 1967, Morgan wed his high school sweetheart Gloria Stewart. They had two children together before divorcing in the 1980s. Morgan went on to marry Theresa Behymer in 1990; they had twins the following year.
In 2015, Morgan was diagnosed with leukemia. For treatment, he successfully received a bone marrow transplant from his daughter. Later, Morgan suffered from polyneuropathy. On October 11, 2020, he passed away at his home in Danville, California.
Real Estate
In September 1991, Joe paid $1.325 million for a home in Danville, California. Today, this home is worth around $4 million. As of this writing, it is still owned by his family.
