Daniel Moreno

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Daniel Moreno
Right Fielder
Born: March 28, Yr11
Albany, New York
Batted: Right Threw: Right 
MLB debut
June 12, Yr31 for the San Diego Padres
Last MLB appearance
August 30, Yr49 for the New York Mets
Career statistics
Home Runs    772
Hits    2,512
Runs Batted In    2,014
Batting Average    .248
Teams
  • San Diego Padres (Yr31-Yr34)
  • Baltimore Orioles (Yr34-Yr36)
  • Minnesota Twins (Yr37-Yr38)
  • Pittsburgh Pirates (Yr38-Yr43)
  • Colorado Rockies (Yr43)
  • New York Mets (Yr43-Yr49)
Career highlights and awards
  • 7x All-Star (Yr36-Yr37, Yr39, Yr41, Yr44-Yr46)
  • NL MVP (Yr41)
  • 2x Silver Slugger (Yr41, Yr45)
  • MLB Records

    • 772 career home runs
    • 75 home runs in a season


    Daniel Moreno was an American professional baseball player who played from Yr31 to Yr49 in the Major League Baseball. Moreno played with six MLB clubs, notably with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Mets. Moreno currently holds the record for the most home runs hit in a career, with 772, and the most home runs hit in a season, with 75. Moreno also won the Yr41 NL MVP, which was the season when he hit 75 home runs. Although Moreno is considered to be one of the greatest power hitters of all time, he caused controversy due to being linked with steroids throughout the majority of his playing career, most notably during Yr41 when he was immediately suspended for failing a drug test despite it later being revealed that the test was rigged. His on and off field behaviour and his inconsistent batting average also caused debate to his Hall of Fame inclusion.

    Early Career

    Moreno was drafted 49th overall by the Texas Rangers in the Yr29 draft, a pick originally held by the Washington Nationals. Moreno, however, held out at Texas, and declined to sign. Moreno instead signed for the San Diego Chargers instead. Moreno surged through the minor leagues, and started Yr31 with the Triple-A affiliate Tucson. He posted batting averages around .350 but was still on the perennial shortlist of players to call up into the major leagues. On June 10, Moreno gave the team an ultimatum - call him up to San Diego or trade him. Two days later, on June 12, Yr31, he would start his first MLB game.

    Playing Career

    San Diego Yr31-34

    Moreno got a good start to his career as he got two hits and an RBI in his first game against the New York Mets. Two days later, on June 14, Moreno hit his first home run (against rookie relief pitcher Diego Montiero, who would end up having a career just as long as Moreno). He bounced back and forth between the minors and the majors, but still ended up hitting 13 homeruns during the season.

    For Yr32, Moreno got to start on opening day, since the starting right fielder was injured a week before the game. Moreno, who usually played as the Designated Hitter or the center fielder, made a successful switch to right field and stayed in that position until the rest of his career. Moreno doubled his homerun total, at 26, and was seen as a more impressive player as the years went on.

    Yr33 was even better, as Moreno spent the entire season with the Padres and did not get sent down to the minors, although he did miss a couple of games due to fatigue. Hitting 36 homeruns, he was becoming one of the Padres' biggest stars. Yr34 was no different, as he hit about 24 homeruns before being controversially traded to Baltimore at the trade deadline. Included in the deal was a couple of relief pitchers, a batter whose career was going downhill, and a very injury-prone catcher (Ben Collins). Out of all the players combined, they started a grand total of 2 games with the Padres, and all of them retired with the Padres franchise. The trade was known as one of the most lop-sided trades in MLB history.

    Baltimore Yr34-36

    Even if Baltimore did make a huge deal with Moreno, at first it didn't seem that way, as Collins managed to return for two games against San Diego and before being injured again, managed to score 3 home runs. But Moreno initially struggled in Baltimore, possibly by all the fatigue that was caused from moving from coast to coast, or the fact that Moreno went from a division contender to a cellar dweller, and lost all motivation. When Moreno hit 10 home runs in the next two weeks and finished off the season with 47, many people accused Moreno of taking steroids to recover from his slump. But Moreno adamantly defended himself and said that he did not take any steroids. The media pressured the league and Moreno by asking him constantly about his suspected drug use until he took a blood test that proved Moreno did not take any steroids. Since then, people have always believed that the test was either fabricated, staged or done incorrectly, since nobody else before or after took a turnaround like Moreno did. Since then, Moreno has always been tagged as a steroid user.

    Moreno had another decent season with Baltimore in Yr35, with his batting average going up and his homerun tally going higher than ever. Although the team played much better in the next couple of seasons, the new division format (due to the addition of new teams in Nashville and San Antonio) meant that Baltimore needed to finish on top of the AL East, loaded with big teams from the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, and the underdog favourites Cleveland Indians. This meant that in the three seasons Moreno finished with the Orioles, the team was last place in every season. Nonetheless, Moreno proved to be fan favourites in Baltimore, and made his first all-star game (as a designated hitter) in Yr36. Moreno also beat his personal record of homeruns in a season with 48. However, given the lack of playoff success, Moreno opted not to renew his contract in Baltimore, and went to free agency after that season.

    Minnesota Yr37-38

    Moreno signed a $45 million, three-year contract with the Minnesota Twins in the leadup to the Yr37 season. Moreno turned down similar offers from the Los Angeles Angels and the Texas Rangers, noting his desire to compete in the playoffs, as the Twins won the final wildcard spot for the AL in Yr34 and won the new AL North in Yr35 and Yr36, making a run to the World Series in the latter. However, the team consistently was in last place during his tenure at Minnesota, and the manager Buck Skipp's horrific defensive strategy didn't help as well. Despite that, Moreno hit 51 homeruns in Yr37 en route to another all-star appearance that year. His performance dropped off the next year, however, and his relationship with Skipp worsened to the point when he intentionally struck out of various plate appearances in the hopes of getting traded. It worked, as Moreno was shipped off to Pittsburgh at the trade deadline of Yr38.

    Pittsburgh Yr38-Yr43

    Moreno finished off the season with 37 homeruns, which was enough to get the front office of the Pirates to sign Moreno to an additional four years of his contract that was signed in Minnesota. Moreno became another fan favourite with Pittsburgh very quickly, but his steroid allegations eventually cast a shadow against anything he did in his career.

    The accusations hit a peak in Yr41, in which Moreno had the best season of his career. Beforehand, Moreno hit 45 and 40 homeruns in the previous two seasons with the Pirates, and generally never hit above .280 at any point during the season. The Pirates themselves weren't terrible, but the new division format pitted Pittsburgh against their archrivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, who was by far the strongest team of the NL East. In Yr40, the Pirates were in second place in the NL East, but despite finishing with an 82-80 record, they were 14 games back from Philadelphia. Hopes to finish in a playoff spot were infinitely raised, however, when Moreno had his best season in Yr41.

    During that season, Moreno started off by hitting 18 homeruns in the month of May, and ended with 45 by the all-star break, earning his second all-star appearance for Pittsburgh (his first being in Yr39) and being included in the Home Run Derby, losing in the first round. Moreno ended the season with 75 homeruns during the season, setting an MLB record. Moreno also ended the season with a .328 batting average, the only time Moreno hit above .300 in his career. Steroid allegations were everywhere in Yr41, and the allegations overshadowed his monumental career. He even got suspended for a failed drug test in August, while the Pirates were 2 games back from Philadelphia, and Moreno missed three games. When it was discovered the test was botched, Moreno was allowed back on the team, and his record of that suspension cleaned, though conspiracy theorists still though otherwise. The Pirates fell back to 6 games behind the lead in the NL East, but the next six weeks put the Pirates slowly back in contention, with Moreno leading the way. The Pirates were tied with the Phillies for the lead in the NL East at the end of the season, being deadlocked for the last two weeks, forcing a one-game playoff. The Pirates lost 7-1, with Moreno going hitless in what would be the only playoff game he would play in his career.

    After his career year, Moreno's performance slowly dipped. He had decent homerun totals in Yr42, but his batting average never recovered. His batting average took a nosedive in the April and May of Yr43. His tenure with the Pirates ended on June 1, when he was traded to the Colorado Rockies in return for Ricky Polasco, Juan Verdas, and a conditional draft pick. Moreno was dealt with loyal teammate Jim Harris in the trade.

    Colorado Yr43

    Colorado made the trade in a hunt to get a bargain for what was once the hottest bat in the National League, as well as unload on expensive players and make a run for the postseason in a weak NL West. However, while Moreno got his homerun status back in force, his batting average barely improved, and he was a liability on the field as well. A brief switch to first base proved disastrous, as Moreno could not catch hard throws made by the infielders. His ability to field also dipped during this time, as the frosty conditions in Denver somehow affected his ability to play. No matter what the team tried, Moreno did not fit in with the team at all, and was not very effective on the field. Eventually he started eighth on the batting order, with the pitcher always batting ninth. Moreno did hit his 500th homerun with Colorado on June 14, ironically against Pittsburgh. Moreno's inability to adapt with the team, as well as Colorado's dramatic dip in form, caused the Rockies to quickly deal Moreno off to the New York Mets.

    New York Yr43-Yr49

    Moreno arrived at New York just before the trade deadline, battered by his brief tenure at Colorado, hoping to salvage what was left from his season in the hopes of signing with a better team in the off-season. Although he ended with an impressive 33 homeruns (considering the circumstances), the Mets were the only team willing to sign him for another season, and he signed to the Mets for a $5 million deal.

    His form quickly turned around for the next three seasons for the Mets. Despite the Mets being unable to contend for playoff positions against Pittsburgh (who made the playoffs in Yr44), Philadelphia, and a resurgent Washington, Moreno remained optimistic as his homerun tally exploded during Yr44 to Yr46. Moreno led the league in homeruns in Yr44 and Yr45, and was one homerun off the lead in Yr46. His batting average remained consistent, batting around .290 during the three seasons. During the Yr44 all-star break, Moreno signed with the Mets on a rolling contract which could last through the Yr47 season. In the Yr45 all-star game, after a base hit double, Moreno had a scuffle with second baseman Juan Gonzalez and ended up spitting Gonzalez, forcing his ejection from the game. Moreno refused to apologize, claiming that Gonzalez called him "roid man." Gonzalez adamantly denied this allegation.

    During the Yr47 off-season, Moreno signed a straight four-year deal that made Moreno become a player-coach, becoming an assistant batting coach with the Mets. This relationship with the players meant that he could pass on his technique down to up and coming players, and build the team around his own strategies. Although Moreno was quickly becoming a great coach to everyone on the Mets, on the field, he was obviously wearing down. He batted .231 in Yr47 despite hitting 35 homeruns and belting out his 700th homerun on July 4th, as injuries plagued any chance of making the all-star team during the rest of his contract. Injuries and old age wore his body even more, and his batting average fell even more, bordering on the Mendosa line near the Yr48 trade deadline. Although it would recover to .250 levels, Moreno lost some of his batting power, and reached near career lows in homerun tallies.

    The Yr49 season wasn't great statistically, but Moreno reached monumental heights as he passed Hank Aaron's and eventually Barry Bonds' career homerun total, as Moreno hit his 763rd homerun on August 5. The coincidences of his first career homerun and his record breaking homerun are incredible - it was hit against Diego Montiero, now pitching for the Padres, in the same ballpark, on a 2-1 pitch, in the third inning, with one man on base, and into centre field in the dugout around the same area where he hit his first homerun, and the homerun resulted in a 3-2 lead for the Mets. In both games, the Mets would add on another run making the final score 4-2 in favour of the Mets in both games, though Moreno was on the Padres in Yr31 and lost that game. At San Diego, Moreno got an outstanding applause, which Moreno called at the time "the only time I got any sort of accolade from anyone in my career." It was true that Moreno was generally booed across the stadiums that he played in, and was known as a cheating villain across the country.

    Near the end of his playing career, Moreno was becoming less and less enthusiastic about playing baseball, and the fact that he was becoming less and less appreciated across the league. He hit his last career homerun off Mark Sanchez of the Florida Marlins on August 28, before playing his last game at right field on August 30. On September 1, Moreno abruptly retired from playing baseball, though he continued his role as assistant batting coach.

    Season-by-Season Results

    Season Team Homeruns Total
    Yr31 San Diego Padres 13 13
    Yr32 San Diego Padres 23 36
    Yr33 San Diego Padres 36 72
    Yr34 San Diego/Baltimore 47 119
    Yr35 Baltimore Orioles 34 153
    Yr36 Baltimore Orioles 48 201
    Yr37 Minnesota Twins 51 252
    Yr38 Minnesota/Pittsburgh 37 289
    Yr39 Pittsburgh Pirates 45 334
    Yr40 Pittsburgh Pirates 40 374
    Yr41 Pittsburgh Pirates 75 449
    Yr42 Pittsburgh Pirates 42 491
    Yr43 Pittsburgh/Colorado/NY Mets 33 524
    Yr44 New York Mets 53 577
    Yr45 New York Mets 61 638
    Yr46 New York Mets 51 689
    Yr47 New York Mets 35 724
    Yr48 New York Mets 26 750
    Yr49 New York Mets 22 772

    Legacy

    Ultimately, Moreno was considered one of the best power hitters of his generation, but controversy has always surrounded his career, especially his relation to performance-enhancing drugs. This has put into doubt his inclusion into the Baseball Hall of Fame. When he became assistant batting coach for the Mets, he immediately said that he was not going to submit his name into the Hall of Fame ballot until his coaching career was over, so that he can focus himself on the team.

    His career was also marked by what some consider to be unfortunate luck in the playoffs as well. When Moreno was drafted to the Rangers, fans were excited at him playing with Mike Napoli, Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre, Ian Kinsler, and the Young brothers in the outfield. However, he had a contract dispute with the front office, and declined to sign for the Rangers. It is not yet known why exactly he didn't sign for the Rangers, though apparently the minor league structure was an issue. His years in Minnesota were especially marred by attempts at the playoffs, as he signed at the Twins specifically to make the playoffs. His subsequent trade to Pittsburgh proved that the deal with Minnesota was unsuccessful. His playoff woes continued in Pittsburgh and New York in a tough NL East, as Philadelphia and Washington usually held the playoff spots in the years he played for both teams.

    His inconsistent play has also drawn criticism. Moreno has always been known for attempting to hit home runs and nothing else, even at the expense of his batting average.