When the clock strikes midnight tonight, it will officially be the end of an era in Omaha, as longtime franchise icon Emilio Morales will officially be a free agent for the first time in his career. It’s unnecessary to go over Morale’s career highlights as they are well known, but it's completely necessary to simple say… Thank you.
Without Morales, the team may not have so quickly found the stability to go from willing 49 games in 2029 to making the postseason 10 times during Morales' playing career.
Without Morales, the club likely wouldn’t have taken home the hardware in the Monty Brewster series in 2046. Morales finished his postseason career in Omaha with a 117 OPS+, including 30 home runs and 86 RBI in 377 at bats.
Without Morales, the team would have hit 733 less home runs and scored 1,869 fewer runs.
More than anything, without Morales, there were times that the team simply wouldn’t have had anything to write about.
Now, as the 8-time all-star departs, with over $250,000,000 in career earnings, let us all come together to thank Emilio one last time for his contributions to the city of Omaha and to this franchise.
"We couldn't be more proud of the work that Emilio has done for this franchise over his playing career. He has made an impact on and off the field, both in the clubhouse, and in the city. Emilio recognizes that this is the best time to depart and potentially compete for a starting job with another team. He has been gracious and been nothing short of amazing in mentoring Bin Mazin despite knowing that he was mentoring his replacement." said Omaha GM Justin Niles. "The world needs more people like Emilio and we can't wait to bring him back to honor him when the timing is right and his playing career is done."
