I wanted to take a minute to respond to an email I got from one of our readers about Akeel Morris.
Richard Wilburn wrote: After a rough start in Kingsport in 2012, Akeel Morris is having a great 2012 in Brooklyn. He seems to be under everyone's radar. What's the deal?
Well, first off, Richard — since I’m a light-hearted kind of guy, I hope you don’t get upset if I point out that I was harping on his awesome season a couple weeks ago. I wrote him up here where I talked about how unhittable he was throughout this season to date. Since then, he did allow his first two earned runs of the season, but he still owns a miniscule 0.59 ERA in 30.1 innings so far in Brooklyn, with a 42:13 K:BB ratio.
Morris has had issues with his command and walked too many batters — but it hurt him more as a starter than it did as a reliever. I should not make light of the fact that he has cut down on his walks in general this year, but my point still stands. I know one of the toughest things as a starter is being told that they want to work you out of the pen, but at only age 20, there is still a chance he returns to the rotation. I know that Tej from MetsProspectHub believes so.
I reached out to Jessica Quiroli, NYPL Reporter, for her opinion on Akeel Morris. She told me she was impressed with the amount of strikeouts he has tallied this year and that his command has looked pretty strong. She went ahead to comment on his consistency, as well. I told her that I felt a little more comfortable seeing Morris out of the pen, and she agreed, and went on to say that she’s excited to see what he does in full-season ball next year.
You and me both, Jessica… and I can’t stress enough two of the more important factors about Morris — he’s still only 20 years old and he has an incredible fastball to his name. I know that I’ve stated outright that I feel he’s destined to be a bullpen arm — and a good one — but I’d love to be wrong here.
You all should follow Jessica on Twitter (@HeelsOnTheField) for the sheer fact that she’s a wonderful person. But you can follow her for top-notch reporting on the NYPL as well, if you’re into that kind of stuff.
I have asked you about Matz and the issue with Rule 5 eligibility in recent weeks. Morris falls into the same iquery.
He has alot of talent and is 20 years old. We added Hansle Robles to the 40 man roster last fall off a great Brooklyn season. We know now that he is probably only the 4th best pitcher that was on teh Brooklyn staff last season, but we protected him.
Do we protct Morris in the Rle 5 draft this Fall or assume that no one would take a shot a pitcher that many years away.
My theoy is hat if I am looking to add someone in the Rule 5 draft, I want to add a very young player that I can keep for a year and then optiion back for a few seasions to develope. That is why I would not waste a 40 man spot protecting a pitcher like John church because he is too old for there to be any upside.
Any thoughts on whether we protect Morris?
Morris isn’t eligible for the Rule V this year, so he won’t be protected this year for sure. I believe this is his last year of protection. He was signed before 19, so he gets four years of protection.
Can someone tell me how fast he throws his fastball?
From what I remember in early Kingsport, it was in the mid 90s peaking at 96 with good movement.
I thought that only applies to Latin American players. He was taken in the draft in 2010 draft.
It depends on the age of a player when he is drafted. Under age 19, not eligible for 5 seasons ( including signing season). Age 19 or older, not eligible for 4 seasons.
This winter, HS picks from the 2009 and college picks from the 2010 drafts will generally be eligible for the first time.