Who Am I?
Charlie Morton
RHP
Age: 33
Height: 6′ 5″
Weight: 235
Throws right, Bats right
How did I get here?
Morton was drafted out of high school in 2006 by the Braves, in the third round. He was traded by the Braves in 2009 to the Pirates for Nate McLouth, and then traded by the Pirates to the Phillies after the 2015 season for minor leaguer David Whitehead. After missing almost all of 2016 with a hamstring injury, he signed with Houston in the offseason as a free agent.
Contract status: Morton signed a 2 year, $14M contract that has “boom or bust” written all over it.
Why am I here?
Well, let’s dig into that question. On the surface, it seems pretty simple: Morton fills the Doug Fister “veteran 4th or 5th starter” from last season. But it looks like Ground Control sees more upside than that. FanGraphs has spent some time on this here and here, but the short version is this:
Morton is the rare 33-year old who seems to be gaining velocity. From those indicated FanGraphs articles:
Assuming we’re ruling out any Andy Pettitte types of healing, then we’re looking at a pitcher who is trying to reinvent himself relatively late in his career. If he can succeed in that, he might provide something greater than “4th or 5th starter” performances.
What are my strengths?
Morton lives off the curve. In terms of spin rate, it’s comparable to Strasburg’s, and even a little tighter than McCullers’. (That’s purely spin rate. I’ll need a lot of convincing before I put that pitch in league with LMJ’s curve.) With the curve, he can induce a lot of ground balls.
What are my weaknesses?
I wouldn’t say that Morton has any other plus pitch. He’s flashed a good splitter but not displayed consistency with it.
More than that, Morton’s problem is that staying healthy is a skill. It’s a skill he doesn’t appear to possess. Morton’s Baseball Prospectus page lists injuries to the following:
- shoulder (three times)
- abdomen
- thigh
- hip (twice)
- elbow
- foot
… and that stops in 2014, so doesn’t even reflect the hamstring that derailed his 2016 season.
If he gets to 100 innings this season, it’s a pleasant surprise.
What is my future with the Astros?
I wouldn’t see much of one beyond that two year deal.
What is my projected 2017 performance?
| W | L | IP | H | HR | BB | SO | ERA | WHIP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 17.1 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 19 | 4.15 | 1.33 |
| 2015 | 9 | 9 | 129 | 137 | 13 | 41 | 96 | 4.81 | 1.38 |
| PECOTA | 8 | 6 | 108.1 | 107 | 12 | 44 | 95 | 4.03 | 1.40 |
| ZIPS | 84.1 | 87 | 11 | 30 | 70 | 4.59 | 1.39 | ||
| MMWAG | 10 | 6 | 135 | 127 | 12 | 45 | 125 | 3.78 | 1.27 |
The recently departed Scott Feldman.