Phillies Featured Player: Rotation Fill-In Adam Morgan
Phillies pitcher Adam Morgan takes the mound against the Marlins Friday night looking to continue his recent success. There may be a glimmer of hope for Morgan’s otherwise unimpressive career.
After a poor rookie season in 2015, many Phillies fans wrote off lefty Adam Morgan. He bounced between Triple-A and the pros throughout this season, but he’s found some success in his most recent starts.
In his first season in the majors, Morgan had middling numbers, carrying a 4.48 ERA in 15 starts. The lefty showed did show some solid control, walking batters just 4.8% of the time. However, he struggled with the long ball, giving up home runs on 10.2% of fly balls.
Coming into 2016, Morgan battled for a rotation spot with newcomer Vincent Velasquez in spring training. Despite being the only lefty vying for a rotation spot, Morgan lost the competition and started the year back in AAA.
Morgan came back to the majors after Charlie Morton went on the disabled list, and he continued to struggle. From his promotion on April 29 to July 7, Morgan went 1-7 with a 6.65 ERA and 5.45 FIP. While his strikeout numbers improved – Morgan had a 7.6 K/9 in that span – the home run continued to bedevil Morgan. He gave up 16 home runs in 66.1 innings, a rate of 2.17 home runs per nine innings.
With another poor run in the majors, Morgan looked like he wouldn’t have a spot in the future rotation. Top prospects Zach Eflin and Jake Thompson both made their debuts since Morgan returned to Lehigh Valley. After so many poor starts, Morgan seemed relegated to a fill-in role in the rotation.
More from That Balls Outta Here
That role soon proved necessary when Aaron Nola and Zach Eflin both went onto the disabled list. While September doesn’t carry much weight for the short-term, this time is valuable for guys like Morgan who still have something to prove.
After a couple bad outings to start his current run in the majors, Morgan has really turned it around. His 1-2 record doesn’t indicate a bounceback, but his 2.41 ERA sure does. Opposing hitters only have a .167 average against Morgan since August 31, and his home run per fly ball rate is down to 5.9%.
When Morgan returned to the majors, he came back with a new pitch in his arsenal. Morgan switched up his fastball grip, using a sinker as his primary pitch. While it only averages 90.6 mph, it generates more ground balls and less line drives and fly balls than the average sinker. Morgan’s sinker runs and falls an extra 3.5 inches compared to his fastball.
With his newfound pitch, Morgan may still have a chance to prove he can be a major-league pitcher. This short span of success won’t cancel out a year and a half of struggles. However, there is a flash of a potential major-league pitcher.
Phillies pitcher Adam Morgan takes the mound against the Marlins Friday night looking to continue his recent success. There may be a glimmer of hope for Morgan’s otherwise unimpressive career.
After a poor rookie season in 2015, many Phillies fans wrote off lefty Adam Morgan. He bounced between Triple-A and the pros throughout this season, but he’s found some success in his most recent starts.
In his first season in the majors, Morgan had middling numbers, carrying a 4.48 ERA in 15 starts. The lefty showed did show some solid control, walking batters just 4.8% of the time. However, he struggled with the long ball, giving up home runs on 10.2% of fly balls.
Coming into 2016, Morgan battled for a rotation spot with newcomer Vincent Velasquez in spring training. Despite being the only lefty vying for a rotation spot, Morgan lost the competition and started the year back in AAA.
Morgan came back to the majors after Charlie Morton went on the disabled list, and he continued to struggle. From his promotion on April 29 to July 7, Morgan went 1-7 with a 6.65 ERA and 5.45 FIP. While his strikeout numbers improved – Morgan had a 7.6 K/9 in that span – the home run continued to bedevil Morgan. He gave up 16 home runs in 66.1 innings, a rate of 2.17 home runs per nine innings.
With another poor run in the majors, Morgan looked like he wouldn’t have a spot in the future rotation. Top prospects Zach Eflin and Jake Thompson both made their debuts since Morgan returned to Lehigh Valley. After so many poor starts, Morgan seemed relegated to a fill-in role in the rotation.
More from That Balls Outta Here
That role soon proved necessary when Aaron Nola and Zach Eflin both went onto the disabled list. While September doesn’t carry much weight for the short-term, this time is valuable for guys like Morgan who still have something to prove.
After a couple bad outings to start his current run in the majors, Morgan has really turned it around. His 1-2 record doesn’t indicate a bounceback, but his 2.41 ERA sure does. Opposing hitters only have a .167 average against Morgan since August 31, and his home run per fly ball rate is down to 5.9%.
When Morgan returned to the majors, he came back with a new pitch in his arsenal. Morgan switched up his fastball grip, using a sinker as his primary pitch. While it only averages 90.6 mph, it generates more ground balls and less line drives and fly balls than the average sinker. Morgan’s sinker runs and falls an extra 3.5 inches compared to his fastball.
With his newfound pitch, Morgan may still have a chance to prove he can be a major-league pitcher. This short span of success won’t cancel out a year and a half of struggles. However, there is a flash of a potential major-league pitcher.
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