Joe Morgan and Tony Perez (and kinda Pete Rose)
Joe Morgan and Tony Perez were nowhere near the players they were for Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine by the time they arrived in Philadelphia.
Before joining the Phillies in 1983, Morgan and Perez had solidified their Hall of Fame resumes by collecting a combined 4,862 hits, 876 doubles, 609 home runs, two MVPs, 17 All-Star selections, five Gold Gloves, and two World Series rings apiece.
Morgan was 39, entering his second to last season, when he came to Philadelphia and Perez turned 41 midseason after going to Montreal and Boston. They reunited with former Big Red Machine teammate Pete Rose, who joined the Phillies in 1980.
Neither Morgan nor Perez did anything spectacular in their one season with Philadelphia, though the team did make its second World Series appearance in four years. Morgan hit a career-worst .230 in 123 games with 16 home runs and 45 more walks than strikeouts, still making him a valuable presence on the team.
Perez appeared in just 91 games with 11 doubles, two triples, and six home runs as a role player, and added three hits in five postseason games.
Morgan would retire after the following season and Perez after three more with the Reds coming off the bench. Morgan received 81.8 percent of the Hall of Fame votes on his first ballot in 1990, and Perez joined him 10 years later after receiving 77.2 percent on his ninth ballot.
Ultimately Morgan and Perez’s careers in Philadelphia were a blip on the radar, but their time in Philadelphia should not be forgotten as part of their journey to Cooperstown.