Shaw on Fantasy MLB: Morrow’s sorrow
Posted June 14, 2011 11:45 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A year ago, Brandon Morrow looked like a rising ace with the Toronto Blue Jays. He had successfully transformed from a late-inning reliever to one of the most exciting starters in baseball.
Morrow finished last season with a career-high 10 wins along with 178 strikeouts and an opposing average of just .248. To get a better idea of Morrow’s performance take a look at the leaderboard for hurlers with at least 145 innings pitched last season when it comes to strikeouts per nine innings:
As you can see, Morrow’s best pitch isn’t a fastball or slider. His best pitch is strike two. Once he reaches two strikes in the count, the opposition hits just .153 against him.
So in evaluating Morrow’s performance so far, the good news is that he is every bit as dominant this season as he was last season based on stuff alone. There are, however, some adjustments that have to be made.
Morrow has to do a better job of mixing up his pitches and he has to get ahead in the count. If he can master both aspects of his game, he will become more than a one-dimensional strikeout artist. He’ll become a winner, which is exactly what the Blue Jays could have used this weekend.
