| Keith Moreland | |
|---|---|
 Moreland with the Chicago Cubs in 1985 | |
| Right fielder | |
| Born: (1954-05-02)May 2, 1954 (age 71) Dallas, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| October 1, 1978, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 24, 1989, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .279 |
| Home runs | 121 |
| Runs batted in | 674 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Bobby Keith Moreland (born May 2, 1954), nicknamed "Zonk", is an American formeroutfielder,catcher, andinfielder inMajor League Baseball who played for thePhiladelphia Phillies,Chicago Cubs, andSan Diego Padres. In 1989, the final year of his career, he played for theDetroit Tigers, then theBaltimore Orioles. On February 16, 2011, he was named the Cubs'color analyst onWGN-AM and theCubs Radio Network, replacingRon Santo. On November 6, 2013, he announced that he was stepping down from his position at WGN Radio to spend more time with his family.
Moreland played college baseball and football atThe University of Texas at Austin.
Moreland came to Texas as two-sport athlete and played football on the 1972 freshman team and then on the 1973 Texas Longhorn football team that won the Southwest Conference Championship and lost theCotton Bowl to Nebraska.[1] After that he chose to focus on Baseball.
Moreland played 3rd base for the Longhorns from 1973-75. He was a three-time All-American and led the team to three NCAA College World Series berths and, as co-captain, the national championship in 1975. He was a .388 hitter with Texas and hit .410 over a 62-game schedule in 1975.
Moreland was named toCollege World Series All-Decade Team for the 1970s. He has the second most career hits in College World Series history with 23 in 3 years (1973–75), behind onlySam Fuld ofStanford.[2][3]
In 1985, he was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor and on May 1, 2010, Moreland's Longhorn number 3 was retired by TheUniversity of Texas.[4]
After college he was drafted by the Phillies in the seventh round of the 1975 draft. He started out as acatcher, but the Phillies also played him atthird base andfirst base. He was traded along withDickie Noles andDan Larson from thePhillies to theCubs forMike Krukow on December 8, 1981.[5] During his time with the Cubs, he was primarily used as a corner outfielder, except in his final year. He was dealt along withMike Brumley from theCubs to thePadres forGoose Gossage andRay Hayward on February 12, 1988.[6] In 1989, playing for American League teams, he also made 80 appearances as adesignated hitter.
Moreland was acquired by theOrioles from theTigers forBrian Dubois on July 28, 1989. The Orioles needed a power hitter for its pennant drive and settled for Moreland after its failed pursuit ofHarold Baines.[7] Prior to an 11–1 loss to theChicago White Sox atMemorial Stadium on September 12, a frustrated Moreland, who at the time was mired in a .212 slump with one home run and 10 RBI in 104 at-bats in 30 games since joining the ball club, complained, "I'm not going to hit anymore. My career is over." Orioles managerFrank Robinson responded, "If he wants to retire, retire now. If he's not going to retire, he should be here keeping himself ready to go out and do whatever I ask." The misunderstanding was resolved by the team before it became a bigger distraction.[8][9] Moreland eventually retired as an active player after the conclusion of the season.
Moreland played twelve seasons in Major League Baseball. He helped the Cubs win the 1984National League Eastern Division championship. His best year was in 1985 with the Cubs, when he batted .307 (14 HR, 106 RBI, 12 SB). He also had a good year in 1987, with 27 HR and 88 RBI. In 1988 as a member of the San Diego Padres, he was the last player to wear #6 before it was retired in honor ofSteve Garvey.
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,306 | 4,581 | 1,279 | 214 | 14 | 121 | 511 | 674 | 28 | 405 | 515 | .279 | .335 | .411 | .746 |
Moreland has worked as acolor analyst for theradio broadcasts ofTexas Longhorn football and baseball, as he is a former player for both teams. He has also worked as an occasional fill-in analyst for the Cubs telecasts onWGN-TV,WCIU-TV, andComcast SportsNet Chicago when regular analystBob Brenly wasn't available.
On February 16, 2011, it was announced that Moreland would be the Cubs' full-time radio color analyst onWGN-AM and theCubs Radio Network, replacing the lateRon Santo. On November 6, 2013, he announced that he was stepping down from his position at WGN Radio to spend more time with his family.
Moreland announces college football games for ASN.
| Preceded by | National League Player of the Month August, 1984 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chicago Cubs Radio Color Commentator 2011–2013 | Succeeded by |