Mike Morgan -- MLB's answer to Kevin Bacon?

Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
#1

So I recently learned that Arizona Diamondback relief pitcher Mike Morgan has played for 12 different ball clubs (an all-time record) over the course of a career spanning 23 years and 4 decades (he joined the majors in 1979). Having played with over a third of the teams in the majors, and with the frequent roster turnover in today’s game, modern free agency being what it is, I wondered how many guys in the big leagues today he had played with at some point.

Then I thought, this sounds familiar. So, do you think everyone in the majors has a ‘Mike Morgan Number’? Anyone know of any resources we could use to play with this?

For example:
Cory Lidle has been with Oakland since last season, when he played with Jason Giambi, who has since gone to the New York Yankees, where he plays with Roger Clemens (the bastard), who played with Ricky Ledee during the latter’s stint in New York from '98-'99 and '00. Ledee is currently with Philadelphia, where he plays with Randy Wolf, who was with the team from '99, when Curt Schilling was still there. Schilling, of course, is a current teammate of Morgan’s with Arizona. Cory Lidle’s Morgan Number is 6 (as is that of anyone who was on the Oakland roster last year). From Lidle you could go to Randy Velarde who’s with Oakland now, and take it anywhere.

So, is this interesting to anyone but me?

#2

Well then, Ed Delahanty (played 1888-1903) has a Mike Morgan number of 6.

Morgan played with the 78 A’s (Morgan started in '78, not '79) with Rico Carty (1).
Carty played on the '63 Braves with Warren Sphan(2).
Sphan played on the '42 Braves with Paul Waner(3).
Waner played on the '26 Pirates with Babe Adams(4).
Adams played on the '06 Cardinals with Mike Grady(5).
Grady played on the 1894 Phillies with Ed Delahanty (6).

I know it’s not quite what you were looking for, but this was fun too.

A good source of info for this is www.baseball-reference.com.

Zev Steinhardt

#3

My favorite player, Trot Nixon, has a Morgan Number of 2!

Morgan played on the '99 Rangers with John Burkett, who is currently a member of the '02 Red Sox with Nixon.

That’s a great site, zev_steinhardt. I was hoping you might be interested in this thread. I’ve been bouncing around The Sporting News’ player listings all afternoon having fun with this. The Baseball Reference site is far better, though, because it actually stores past seasons’ rosters. Thanks!

#4

Believe it or not, Sports Illustrated did “Six Degrees to Don Zimmer” a while ago, in one of their quarter-page amusements at the front of the issue.

I believe it was last spring.

This could probably be done with a number of players and managers. I mean, if you really wanted to spend the time, just think of the influence of someone like Stengel or Connie Mack or Tommy Lasorda.

But it is fun. Just another quirk in baseball that makes it so endlessly fascinating.