Charlie Morton (pitcher)

Charlie Morton
Pittsburgh Pirates — No. 50
Pitcher
Born: November 12, 1983 (1983-11-12) (age 28) Flemington, New Jersey
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 14, 2008 for the Atlanta Braves
Career statistics (through 2011 Season)
Win-loss record	21-39
Earned run average	5.11
Strikeouts	279
Teams
Atlanta Braves (2008) Pittsburgh Pirates (2009-present)

Morton during his tenure with the Atlanta Braves in 2008.

Charles A. Morton (born November 12, 1983 in Flemington, New Jersey) is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He stands at 6'5" and weighs in at about 230 lbs. He is a right-hander.

Professional career

Morton was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 3rd round (95th overall) of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft. He was drafted right out of Joel Barlow High School, located in Redding, Connecticut.

Morton was added to the 40-man roster by the Atlanta Braves on November 20, 2007. Morton made his major league debut on June 14, 2008, against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, allowing 3 runs in 6 innings, earning his first Major League win in the process.^[1]

2009

On June 3, 2009, the Braves traded Morton with Gorkys Hernández and Jeff Locke to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Nate McLouth.^[2]

On his first start with the Pirates on June 10,pitching an inning against the Braves, while Jeff Karstens got the win.On June 28, he received his first decision, a loss to Kansas City. On July 3, he won his first game, pitching 6 innings of 1 hit ball against the Marlins. His best performance in July came on July 18, vs Houston. He pitched 7 innings of a 3 hit, 1 run game with 6 strikeouts. His best game to date is his September 20 start at the Cubs, where he pitched a complete game 4 hitter, to go with 8 strikeouts. His 2009 record in 18 starts is 5 wins against 9 losses, a 4.55 ERA, 97 innings pitched and 62 strikeouts, 40 walks, 7 home runs, 5 hit batsmen, .276 average against, and a 1.46 walks and hits per inning pitched.

2010

Morton broke spring training as a member of the Pirates starting rotation. He made his first start of the season against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 9, 2010 and struck out the first five hitters he faced, but gave up 8 earned runs in just 3.1 innings pitched. As the season progressed, Morton continued to struggle, losing all five starts in April and finished the month with a 12.57 ERA. However, Morton delivered a promising performance on April 30, 2010 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, striking out 8 in six innings of work while allowing six runs - only three earned - but was dealt a loss as the Pirates only provided him with two runs of support. "I thought he threw the ball well," Pirates manager John Russell said. "If we catch the ball that one inning, it might have been a different story. He probably should have gotten out of that [3rd] inning with no runs."^[3]

Morton earned his first win of the season on May 5, 2010 against the Chicago Cubs, striking out three in a 4-2 decision. However, he could not build on the win and lost each of his next four starts, dropping his record on the season to 1-9 with a 9.35 ERA. A day after suffering his 9th loss against the Cincinnati Reds, the Pirates placed him on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder fatigue. He was sent to the Pirates spring training facility in Bradenton, Florida for rehabilitation.^[4] After completing his rehabilitation, which included meeting with a sports psychologist, he was assigned to the Pirates Triple-A affiliate Indianapolis Indians.

Speaking before his first start with the Indians, Morton said "I was pressing. I wasn't being myself on the mound those last couple times I went out there in Pittsburgh. There was so much going on in my mind. At the end of last year, I finished strong, I got a glimpse of what I could do, truly, in the big leagues, going out there and going deep into games, being competitive, being someone who was pretty good. I wanted to be out there for myself and because I care about this team and organization. At the same time, though, after that last one, that last start, because I care about these guys is why, exactly, I knew I couldn't go back out there again."^[5]

On June 24, 2010, he earned his first win in AAA since returning from the DL, pitching a complete game with four strikeouts against the Durham Bulls.

When starter Ross Ohlendorf was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a shoulder injury, the Pirates recalled Morton to take his place in the rotation. He started on August 29 against the Milwaukee Brewers giving up 8 runs in 3 innings . After two months in Triple-A, Morton compiled a record of 4-4 with a 3.83 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 80 innings pitched.^[6]

On his final start of the 2010 season, Morton compiled his finest pitching performance of the year, striking out a career-high 9 batters in a 2-0 loss to the Florida Marlins on October 2. He pitched 6 strong innings while only walking one, but the start yielded no reward as he was handed his 12th loss of the season. "For a while now, I've been wishing it could go on," Morton said of the 2010 season. "Those first two months felt like two years, but this has been so much more enjoyable. I know I can go out there and not just compete but succeed. That's what makes it tough to just walk away from here tonight."^[7] Morton finished the season with a 2-12 record with a 7.57 ERA, but in his final six starts of the season after being recalled in late August, he sported a 4.26 ERA.

Scouting Report

Morton is renowned for the natural velocity and movement of his pitches. Before 2011 he threw a sharp breaking 12 to 6 curveball which sat in the mid to upper 70s, a low 80s changeup, and a mid 80s slider to complement a 4-seam fastball that usually traveled between 92 and 95 MPH and sometimes reached as high as 97 MPH. After his dismal 2010 season, Morton overhauled his pitching style to that of a sinkerballer, lowering his arm slot slightly to increase the effects of a 2-seam fastball that does not have the mid-90s velocity of his 4-seamer but possesses devastating vertical and horizontal movement.

Due to the changes in his delivery and the emphasis he has placed on the sinker, Morton has spawned comparisons to the Philadelphia Phillies' two-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay.[1] Pirates special assistant Jim Benedict had previously encouraged Morton to emulate Halladay's delivery during spring training. Morton has featured his new sinker almost exclusively in his first starts of the 2011 season, resulting in an increased groundball rate but also more bases on balls.

References

1. ^ MLB.com
2. ^ MLB.com
3. ^ "Dodgers bounce back with win over Pirates". ESPN. 2010-04-30. http://espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=300430119. 
4. ^ "Pirates place pitcher Morton on DL". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2010-05-28. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10148/1061493-100.stm. 
5. ^ Dunlap, Colin (2010-06-14). "Pirates' Morton getting his head together". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10167/1065893-63.stm. 
6. ^ Dejan Kovacevic (2010-08-28). "Pirates recalling Morton to start tomorrow". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10240/1083434-100.stm. 
7. ^ Dejan Kovacevic (2010-10-03). "Revived Morton wishes Pirates' season 'could go on'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10276/1092367-63.stm. 

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Persondata
Name	Morton, Charlie
Alternative names
Short description	Major League Baseball pitcher
Date of birth	November 12, 1983
Place of birth	Flemington, New Jersey
Date of death
Place of death