ADAM MORGAN
Morgan is a lefty who will turn 27 years of age just as spring training is opening in late February down in Clearwater.
The Phillies 3rd round pick in the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft, he battled through injuries to finally make his big league debut a year ago, when he turned in a mediocre 15-start performance.
He began this season back at AAA Lehigh Valley, but was given another shot at the Phillies rotation after Morton was lost at the end of April.
Morgan was ineffective over 11 starts, and was finally relegated to the bullpen at the end of June. That relief pitcher stint lasted for just two appearances before injuries on the staff provided him one more starting opportunity, an ineffective outing in Colorado, and he was demoted back to AAA.
Recalled in mid-August after the Phillies had suffered the losses of Eflin and Nola, he became a regular member of the rotation from that point on.
Overall the numbers on Morgan show a 2-11 record with a 6.04 ERA, 1.500 WHIP, and a weak 69 ERA+ figure. He allowed 141 hits over 113.1 innings, but did have a strong 95/29 K:BB ratio.
As the pure numbers reveal, Morgan rarely beats himself. He simply gets pounded by opposition hitters, revealed further by the 23 home runs that he has surrendered.
Morgan is a AAA pitcher as a starter. If he limits his repertoire and takes mentally to the role, he could become an effective lefty out of the bullpen.
It’s difficult to say how the Phillies will use Morgan, who still has five years of team control, as they move forward.
He is going to have to find a way to get big league hitters out on a much more effective and consistent basis to remain not only in the team’s plans, but on the roster at all.