1981 Donruss, Jose Morales

#495 Jose Morales

I said in yesterdays post that the card was a recent addition to my collection since I obtained the signature within the past year. Based on that, this one is practically brand new. I mailed this card to Jose in February and I had it back a week later.

Jose played in the Major Leagues for twelve seasons with the A's, Expos, Twins, Orioles, and Dodgers. Though he played in over 700 games for his career, Jose took the field in only 104 times. He was a DH for 265 games and spent the rest of the time pinch hitting. Jose was a professional hitter that hit .278 for his career with 26 home runs and 207 RBI.

In 1976, Jose set the Major League record for pinch hits in a season. With the Expos, he racked up 25 pinch hits that year. His record stood for nineteen years before being broken by the Rockies John Vander Wal.

It is kind of funny that Jose is listed as a catcher on this card. He caught just two games in 1980 and played first base just as much. But, he did DH 86 times. Sounds like Jose is a designated hitter to me.

'81 Donruss Tracker: #219