CINCINNATTI, OH. – The Cincinnati Reds announced today in a press conference that former Reds star, Hall of Famer and current ESPN game analyst Joe Morgan has joined the team as a special advisor to baseball operations.

This follows a trend set by the Chicago Cubs with Greg Maddux being named assistant to the team’s general manager, Jim Hendry, and Tom Glavine being named by the Atlanta Braves as special assistant to the team’s president, John Scheurholz.

According to a team press release, Morgan will “support and assist in the development of the Club’s community outreach and diversity initiatives while participating in the efforts of the Reds Community Fund and Reds Hall of Fame, including appearances at Rookie Success League and Match Program evens, Hall of Fame inductions and other promotional activities.

He will support the teams’ rights-holders with visits on 700 WLW Radio and FOX Sports Ohio broadcasts. He will also assist in the development and cultivation of the Reds’ baseball operations organizational philosophy and in player development strategy.”

Other former Reds players who have worked with the Reds include Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, a special consultant until this past year, Eric Davis and Mario Soto, special assistants who work with current players, and Ken Griffey Sr., also a special assistant in the player development area of the team, according to the si.com.

Morgan, who is 66, batted .271, had 268 home runs and 1,133 runs batted in over his 22-season career. He also was an All-Star 10 times, twice with the Houston Astros and eight consecutive appearances with the Reds. He is also a five-time Gold Glove winner with the Reds and won a Silver Slugger award in 1982 while with the San Francisco Giants.

Morgan was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, in 1990 and entered as a Reds player after being most remembered as an important piece of the Big Red Machine from 1972-1979. During that time he helped lead that team to two World Series championships in 1978 and ‘79 and was named National League Most Valuable Player both of those years. Morgan finished his career playing briefly for the Philadelphia Phillies and Oakland Athletics.

According to the Reds.com website, over the past two years Morgan has attended Reds Spring Training as a special instructor, rekindling his relationship with the Reds.

ESPN’s Diane Lamb said Morgan’s new role with the Reds will not affect his Sunday Night Baseball duties on ESPN.

Re-printed with permission of the author.

In addition to writing her Chicago Cubs column for Examiner.com,Miriam Romain has been published in several Cubs annuals by Maple Street Press and is a contributor to SportsClimax.com . She is also writing a book with the working title “Summers at Wrigley with my Dad.”

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