Omar Moreno

Moreno, the fleet leadoff man of the 1979 World Champion Pirates, was an offensive and defensive threat when at the top of his game. The great speed that allowed him to rob opponents of extra-base hits was also his greatest offensive weapon. When hitting instructor Harry Walker convinced Moreno to chop the ball in 1979, he hit a career-high .282. All too often, though, the strikeout-prone, rarely walking Panamanian swung for the fences. He led the NL in steals in 1978 and ’79, and set a Pittsburgh record with 96 steals in 1980, but scored just 87 runs, 23 fewer than 1979. He also led in triples in 1980 and in at-bats in ’79 and ’80. He left Pittsburgh after 1982 as a free agent and thereafter bounced around the majors. He finished his career with 487 steals, 14th on the career list at the time.