Will Adam Morgan Make It?
After playing 3 years of college baseball at the University of Alabama, the Philadelphia Phillies drafted left-handed pitcher, Adam Morgan in the third round of the 2011 MLB Draft. Morgan thrived in the Phillies farm system, as he quickly became one of the top pitching prospects in the organization. However, in 2013, Morgan suffered a torn rotator cuff that caused him to miss the entire 2014 season. After extensive rehabilitation, Morgan returned to the mound in 2015 for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. Though he struggled in Triple-A, Morgan still earned himself the call up to the major leagues, making his debut on June 21, 2015, against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Fast forward to Friday nights game, August 19, 2016, Adam Morgan took the mound against the St. Louis Cardinals once again, this time, with something to prove. The 2016 season has certainly not been kind to Morgan. Not only has he struggled mightily, being called on to make several spots starts, and being hit hard in games, but his coaches have even pointed out that he has been unable to find his groove.
Before Friday’s game, manager, Pete Mackanin discussed Morgan’s lackluster season, as he stated, “1-7 with a 6 ERA is not good. I think he’s better than that but he has to start showing it. It’s cut and dry.”
Throughout the game, Morgan finally showed what he is capable of, however the bullpen denied him of his first win since May 10th, after a late inning comeback brought forth by the St. Louis Cardinals’ offense. In his return to the starting rotation, after spending a little over a month down in Triple-A, Morgan allowed just one run on 5 hits, walking 2 and striking out 3 in 6-plus innings.
After the game, Pete Mackanin spoke about Morgan’s performance on the mound. He stated that, “[o]ne of the few bright spots of the game was Morgan.” Hopefully this serves as the much-needed confidence boost for Morgan, after his struggles this season. Another positive take-away from Morgan’s performance was that it marked the first time in 8 games that a Phillies’ starting pitcher threw 6 or more innings in a game.
When asked about his performance, Morgan simply stated, “I felt good.” He also went on to say, “[w]hen they sent me down, it was the changeup and the two-seam that needed to be on more times than not. So I feel good about it, but there’s still more to improve.” Manager, Pete Mackanin took notice of Morgan’s improvements, especially with the pitches he was sent down to Triple-A to work on. Mackanin said that Morgan “used a ton of changeups, located extremely well.” Makanin even went as far as saying that “[h]e looked almost masterful with his changeup.” Furthermore, with the latest injuries to pitchers, Aaron Nola and Zach Efflin, the open spots in the Phillies rotation will most likely give Morgan an opportunity to showcase himself, with the hopes of securing a permanent spot in the starting rotation for the future.
When discussing the open spots in the rotation, as well as his overall mindset while pitching, Morgan said, “I just want to take advantage of the opportunity. Once you start looking back, like, ‘Oh gosh I really gotta do good here to stay in the big leagues.’ I feel like your mind wanders. So it’s pretty simple. I’m just trying to take advantage of the opportunity and give the team a chance to win every time I go out. Go deep into games and help this bullpen out.”
It seems Adam Morgan not only has the tools he needs to succeed on the mound, but he also seems to have the determination and right mentality. Only time will tell if everything will workout between Morgan and the Phillies. After all, it’s like manager, Pete Mackanin implied, it is entirely up to Adam Morgan himself to make it happen.
Photo: Arturo Pardavila III (via: Wikimedia Commons)
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Categorized:Phillies