Phillies Reacquire Minor Leaguer David Whitehead, Piece of Morton Deal
Everything has now gone full circle for the Phillies minor leaguer
Traded last year for Charlie Morton, pitcher David Whitehead believed his days as a member of the Phillies organization were over.
As pitchers and catchers prepare to report to Clearwater for spring training, the Phils made a minor league signing to add depth to their pitching staff. Whitehead was brought back by the team one year after being traded to Pittsburgh for veteran starter Charlie Morton.
Philadelphia originally drafted Whitehead in the 34th round of the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft out of Elon University. The right-hander reached Double-A Altoona last season in the Pirates organization and worked himself into a starting job.
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Between Altoona and rookie ball the 24-year-old had a 7.52 ERA, a much bigger dip than his rookie season in the Phils organization where he kept his ERA under a 2.20 clip.
Philadelphia got little out of the veteran Morton after acquiring him prior to last season. Throwing less than 300 pitches in Philadelphia, Morton suffered a torn hamstring on April 23 against Milwaukee. Morton’s injury opened up the doors for prospects such as Zach Eflin and Jake Thompson to get their first taste of the major leagues in 2016.
Both those pitchers are expected to start the year in Lehigh Valley, whether it be due to more seasoning or a logjam of pitchers in Philadelphia.
The veteran Morton would sign with Houston early in the offseason as he looks to make a playoff push late in his professional career.
