When you look at the total package of defense, hitting, baserunning, leadership and clutch play, Morgan is clearly the best second baseman in the history of the game.

I did not see Morgan in his prime, I'm more familiar with the late 70's past his peak Reds version and the wandering, over the hill, vagabond Morgan with the Giants and A's. Easily the best all-around second baseman of the 70's- won back to back MVP's with a Reds, team full of superstars- that just doesn't happen with second basemen... good fielder,hit homers, stole a ton of bases, drew lots of walks... his batting averages generally weren't all that high, and only hit .271 lifetime, but it didn't matter... On top of all that, he was a very clever, astute player, a- deservedly- first ballot HOF'er, and you can count on one hand the total of 2b who even have earned the right to be mentioned in the same breath.

As an ESPN analyst- though knowledgeable about the game- terrible. Grumpy, totally without a real sense of humor except for the squarest, lamest jokes, too 'back in my day we didn't have legs, we ran around the bases on our hands,' and although the mid 70's Reds were a true powerhouse, and worthy of anecdotes, he can't even seem to be able to discuss strawberry ice cream without inserting Rose, Bench, Perez, and friends into the discussion...

Joe Morgan is the most overrated second baseman of all time. His lifetime average of .271 is pathetic, and he amassed stats by staying in the game way beyond his prime. Morgan fans say he hit for power--he hit 271 homers during a 22-year career, or roughly 12 a year. Looking at the defensive side of it, he was even more pathetic. He made 27 errors in one year--those are dead ball era numbers. Not to mention the balls he couldn't reach with his limited range, especially later in his career. The best second baseman ever was Rogers Hornsby, and there can be no argument with that.

Great player.

How on earth is he rated this low? Excelled in all phases of the game, and likely the best ever at the position.

No offense to Jackie Robinson, but it should've been Joe Morgan on that All Century Team.

Probably the best 2nd baseman behind Rogers Hornsby & Nap Lajoie.

The second best all-time second baseman (behind only Hornsby). Hit for power when needed- knew the value of a walk and a steal.

Best 2nd baseman ever. Top 10 player all time.

Joe Morgan is probably the best and most underrated second baseman of all time.

My boyhood idol. It was my reason for playing second base from T-ball through high school. I went to Cooperstown just to see his plaque in the hall. Probably the greatest second baseman ever at least in my eyes. For those who were not old enough to enjoy the Big Red Machine of the 70's you missed one of the greatest teams of all times. The '76 Reds would have crushed the '98 Yankees.