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Nyjer Morgan And The Persistent Zero

By Kyle Lobner
March 23, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Nyjer Morgan (2) falls after a pitch during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Maryvale Baseball Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE
March 23, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Nyjer Morgan (2) falls after a pitch during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Maryvale Baseball Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

As I was working on this morning's Frosty Mug, I came across this tweet from David Schoenfield of ESPN:

Morgan got the night off last night, so the tweet is still accurate: he has appeared in 32 games and collected 89 official at-bats this season, but has yet to drive in a run. He has nearly three times as many PAs as the next RBI-less major leaguer:

Player Team AB PA
Nyjer Morgan Brewers 89 98
Brett Hayes Marlins 36 38
Justin Sellers Dodgers 30 36
Anthony Recker Athletics 28 34
Collin Cowgill Athletics 28 32
Ben Francisco Blue Jays 28 30
Tony Cruz Cardinals 29 29
Ben Revere Twins 22 25
Henry Blanco Diamondbacks 23 23
Omar Vizquel Blue Jays 20 22

For what it's worth, Brooks Conrad is 15th on this list with 20 PAs, and Zack Greinke is 24th with 17.

Morgan only has 17 hits (and just one for extra bases) in 2012, so the fact that he's not driving in many runs isn't surprising. The zero, though, is hard to believe. In fact, Morgan's 89 AB without an RBI to start a season are easily a Brewer franchise record:

Player Season AB before first RBI
Nyjer Morgan 2012 89
Keith Osik 2003 71
Charlie Moore 1980 70
Doug Davis 2004 64
Henry Blanco 2001 63

Morgan is still looking for his first hit with runners in scoring position this season (0-for-10 with a walk and an HBP), and is just 3-for-25 with runners on base.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I wrote this in place of a Twins series preview today, so feel free to discuss the Twins in the comments. - KL

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