Morris has made quite a turnaround
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Bryan Morris could not help but think about how much his baseball career and his life has changed in the last year as the he took in the surroundings of Angel Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Pittsburgh Pirates’ top pitching prospect played for the United States squad in the All-Star Futures Game. The whole day seemed almost like a dream.
Morris was in Lynchburg, Va., at this time in 2009, pitching for the Pirates’ high Class A farm club in the Carolina League and struggling mightily on his way to a 4-9 finish. He was slow to recover from a variety of injuries, not pitching well and had a bad attitude about it all.
Morris’ situation reached a head a few weeks later when he directed a profanity-laced tirade at an umpire after being removed from a game. The Pirates suspended him indefinitely, banishing him to their training facility at Bradenton, Fla.
“I was so angry when I got to Bradenton,” Morris recalled. “I didn’t want to be there.”
Morris’ banishment lasted two weeks before he was deemed ready to return to Lynchburg. The time in Bradenton turned out to be the turning point in Morris’ career.
“I had a lot of time to think,” Morris said. “I started to understand that I needed to change. It was time for quit feeling sorry and blaming others because I wasn’t pitching well. I knew that I had better grow up if I wanted to have a future in baseball and just be a better person.”
Morris is a changed man for the experience.
He finished last season on a good note by helping Lynchburg to the league championship. He then was married in the offseason and came to spring training in the best shape of his life.
Morris, 23, was back to high-A level and the Pirates’ new Bradenton farm club in the Florida State League to begin this season. He was admittedly disappointed with the assignment as his goal was to join Class AA Altoona of the Eastern League out of spring training.
Morris did not pout this time, though, and went 3-0 with a 0.60 ERA in eight starts for Bradenton. That earned him a promotion to Altoona, where he has gone 4-4 with a 4.19 ERA in 10 starts.
With the promotion of Brad Lincoln to the major leagues from Class AAA Indianapolis last month, Morris is clearly the Pirates’ best pitching prospect, at least until they sign their first two picks from this year’s draft, right-handers Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie.
Morris’ emergence also gives the Pirates something to show for the three-team trade on July 31, 2008 in which Jason Bay was dealt to Boston and the Red Sox shipped Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers while the Pirates got Morris and three busts in Andy LaRoche, Brandon Moss and Craig Hansen.
“When you get to Double-A and then you get to play in a game like this, the major leagues start to feel like an attainable goal,” Morris said. “I feel like I’m getting closer every day.”
Quite a turnaround from a year ago when he was moving further away from prospect status every day.
Herald-Standard sports correspondent John Perrotto is editor-in-chief of BaseballProspectus.com.