Morris Nettles (January 26, 1952 – January 24, 2017) was an American
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...
who played two seasons with the
California Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...
in the mid-1970s.
Nettles was drafted by the Angels in the second round of the
1970 Major League Baseball Draft out of
Venice High School in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. A speedy runner with good range in the
outfield
The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area.
In bat and ball games
...
, he batted over .300 in the Angels' farm system to earn a roster spot with the Angels coming out of
Spring training
Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
. He was demoted back to the triple A
Salt Lake City Angels
In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as ro ...
at the end of May with a .222
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
, three extra base hits, seven
runs scored
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted bal ...
and one
stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...
.
Nettles batted .328 with 26 stolen bases and 69 runs scored for Salt Lake City to earn a second chance with the big league club. He made the most of his second chance, batting .292 with nineteen stolen bases and scoring twenty
runs at the top of the Angels' batting order.
Nettles was handed the
centerfield job heading into the campaign, but lost it to
Mickey Rivers
John Milton "Mickey" Rivers (born October 30, 1948) is an American former baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1984 for the California Angels, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. As a Yankee, he was part of two Worl ...
a month into the season. Playing one of the corner outfield positions and occasionally filling in for Rivers in center the rest of the way, Nettles batted .231 with fifty runs scored. He stole 22 bases, but was caught fifteen times. He and
Jim Spencer
James Lloyd Spencer (July 30, 1947 – February 10, 2002) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman. Born in Hanover, Pennsylvania, the left-handed Spencer was recognized for his excellent fielding ability, but also served in later y ...
were traded to the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
for
Bill Melton
William Edwin Melton (July 7, 1945 – December 5, 2024), nicknamed "Beltin' Bill" and "Beltin' Melton", was an American professional baseball third baseman and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball from 1968 through ...
and
Steve Dunning
Steven John Dunning (born May 15, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher between and for the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, California Angels, Montreal Expos an ...
on December 11, 1975.
Nettles was one of many young outfielders competing for the White Sox's centerfield job in Spring training . With
Chet Lemon
Chester Earl Lemon (February 12, 1955 – May 8, 2025) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), beginning with the Chicago White Sox in 1975, where he played for six years. He w ...
eventually named the Chisox's
centerfielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the ce ...
, Nettles split the season between the
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...
and
Iowa Oaks, batting a combined .232 in his final professional season.
Nettles died from complications of pancreatic cancer on January 24, 2017.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nettles, Moris
1952 births
2017 deaths
African-American baseball players
Major League Baseball outfielders
California Angels players
Baseball players from Los Angeles
Águilas Cibaeñas players
American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic
Deaths from pancreatic cancer in California
20th-century African-American sportsmen
21st-century African-American sportsmen
Angeles de Puebla players
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Dorados de Chihuahua players
El Paso Sun Kings players
Idaho Falls Angels players
Iowa Oaks players
Piratas de Campeche players
Plataneros de Tabasco players
Quad Cities Angels players
Salt Lake City Angels players
Shreveport Captains players
Toledo Mud Hens players
Venice High School (Los Angeles) alumni