BRYAN MORRIS

3/28/87; '06 1st (Los Angeles); Motlow State (TN) CC
L/R; 6-3, 200

Level

W-L-Sv

BB/9

K/9

WHIP

OAVG

ERA

2006 R+ (LA)

4-5-0

59.2

6.0

11.9

1.74

.267

5.13

2007 INJURED

2008 A (LA)

2-4-0

81.2

3.2

8.2

1.27

.247

3.20

2008 A

0-2-0

14.1

7.5

6.9

2.02

.288

5.02

2009 A+

4-9-0

72.2

4.2

4.0

1.67

.295

5.57

The Pirates acquired Morris in the three-way trade involving Jason Bay and Manny Ramirez. He was the youngest of the four players they got in the deal and may have the highest ceiling. Morris had Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss all of 2007. He had pitched well in 2008 up through the time of the trade, though, with his fastball reaching as high as 95. He has an above-average curve and is working on a changeup. Baseball America projected him to be a potential 3rd starter. The Pirates assigned him to Hickory after the trade. He made three starts there, struggling in the last two before he was shut down with biceps pain in his right shoulder. The Pirates said there was no structural damage and did not expect it to be a serious problem. Hopefully, current management will prove to be less dishonest about injury problems than their predecessors.

Morris also had a problem with his big toe that led to surgery. It was expected to delay the start of his 2009 season, but he was pitching in spring exhibitions and was on the Lynchburg roster to open the season. He wasn't able to pitch until June, however, due to more shoulder problems. Once he was able to pitch, he managed to stay healthy, but his performance obviously was a major disappointment. He did pitch very well in his one playoff start, winning the deciding game in the first round. His stuff is still very good, but his command and mechanics were poor. The Pirates also suspended Morris briefly due to a blowup with an umpire. He still has as much upside as any pitcher in the system, but the health and command problems are barriers he'll have to overcome. A lot of Pirate fans are eager to write him off in their continuing anger over the Bay trade, but he'll still be only 23 throughout the 2010 season, so it's way too soon to do that. It also shouldn't be forgotten that he was trying in 2009 to move up a level in the wake of a series of injury problems. Despite the problems, the Pirates added him to the 40-man roster in the off-season. He'll probably return to high A, this time with the Pirates' new affiliate in Bradenton.

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