Breakout season came after years of struggles The last time a player led the Nationals franchise in home runs, RBI and batting average in the same season, the team had a different name and played in a different country.
No one will confuse Michael Morse with Vladimir Guerrero, who accomplished that feat with the then-Montreal Expos in 2002 and is likely headed to the Hall of Fame. But after an arduous journey through three different organizations, the 29-year-old Morse finally broke through at the big league level with 31 home runs, 95 RBI and a .303 batting average in 2011.
No other Nats player was close. Ryan Zimmerman batted .289 in just 101 games thanks to surgery for a torn abdominal muscle. Rookie second baseman Danny Espinosa hit 21 home runs but was a distant second in RBI with just 66. Morse also led Washington in hits (158) and doubles (36).
Not bad for a former third-round draft pick who started his pro career as a shortstop in the Chicago White Sox organization but struggled to stay healthy and earn playing time after he was traded to Seattle. Once a top prospect, Morse failed to make the Mariners’ roster out of spring training in 2009 and soon was traded to Washington for journeyman outfielder Ryan Langerhans.
Two years later he was taking a curtain call Sept. 25 in the home finale at Nationals Park after his 29th home run put the Nats up 3-0 in the seventh inning of a game against the Atlanta Braves. It was the perfect cap to a dream season.
“All that stuff made me who I am today,” Morse said of the parts of 10 seasons he spent in the minor leagues. “If it wasn’t for not being able to play or sitting on the bench and overcoming adversity, maybe I would have never got that curtain call.”
After 266 at-bats in 2010 — most in right field — Morse’s .870 OPS and 15 home runs forced the Nats to give him a shot at more playing time in spring training. Yet it almost didn’t happen. Morse crushed the ball for weeks in Florida and locked up a roster spot only to falter when the regular season started in March and April with a .211 batting average in 71 at-bats. Morse was benched in early May and it was only a serious shoulder injury to first baseman Adam LaRoche that allowed him back into the starting lineup. He took full advantage.
“I’m just trying to go out there and have good at-bats,” Morse said. “I’m not trying to do anything that I don’t think I’m capable of doing. I don’t think I’m pressing. I’m just playing.”
For his efforts, Morse on Monday earned Washington’s nomination for the Hank Aaron Award, given annually to the top hitters in both the American League and National Leagues. Combine his stats for 2010 and 2011, and Morse’s slugging percentage in 788 at-bats (.539) ranks 14th among all big league players, and his OPS (.896) is 18th.
