JUPITER, Fla. (AP) -- Miami Marlins left fielder Logan Morrison says the team is taking uniform No. 5 out of retirement so he can wear it as a tribute to his late father.
Tom Morrison died in 2010 of lung cancer. He idolized Hall of Famer George Brett, who wore No. 5.
"I always wanted to wear 5," Logan Morrison said Tuesday. "I'm honored to wear it. Hopefully somebody will want to wear 5 because of me one day."
No Marlin has worn the number. It was retired in 1993 before the franchise's first game in honor of Carl Barger, who was team president when he died in 1992. Barger's favorite player, Joe DiMaggio, wore No. 5.
The Marlins offered to bring the number out of retirement for Morrison, who said he hasn't worn it since his senior year of high school. It was unavailable on his minor league teams.
Morrison, who hit .247 with 23 home runs last year, said his father encouraged him to emulate Brett.
"The way he played, how hard he played, he was always dirty, he was old school," Morrison said. "He had great talent and put up great numbers, but he is going to be remembered for the way he played the game more than anything. Anybody striving to be a great player has to start there -- how you play the game and how you respect the game. He did all of those things really well, and that's what I want to do."
