The Astros have signed lefty Adam Morgan to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training, tweets Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Morgan is repped by CAA Baseball.
Morgan, 32, spent the 2021 season with the Cubs, pitching to a 4.26 ERA with a strong 25.9% strikeout rate against an 11.1% walk rate and a 44.8% grounder rate. It was the first season Morgan spent with any club other than the Phillies, who drafted him with their third-round pick back in 2011. Morgan spent the first six seasons of his career as a Phillie, originally pitching out of the rotation in 2015-16 before moving to the ’pen in 2017.
Since moving to a relief role on a full-time basis, Morgan has seen his strikeout rate and velocity increase, rising from 16.8% and 90.6 mph in 2015-16 up to 25.5% and 93.6 mph from 2017-21. He has a 4.13 ERA through 172 relief innings since making the switch. He’s shut down lefties to the tune of a woeful .198/.280/.305 batting line in that five-year stretch, but right-handed opponents continue to give him trouble, evidenced by a .281/.347/.528 output.
Left-handed relief depth has been an area of need for the Astros, and Morgan will give them some additional depth in that regard. Blake Taylor is currently the only southpaw expected to break camp in the Houston bullpen, though Morgan and fellow veteran Zac Rosscup have both signed non-roster invites to Spring Training within the past few days. Even if neither is on the Opening Day roster, it’s possible they could get get a look as the season wears on — particularly if Taylor incurs any type of injury or struggles.
I wish Adam good luck with his new team. He is definitely one of those guys who could figure it out as a reliever and be a great pick-up. Little risk so why not?
What is with the Astros and lack of interest in left handed relief pitching? There have been long stretches in which the team has gone without a LHRP and they’re never interested in attaining a top to mid tier LHRP. I thought things would change with Baker as mgr but it persists.
The team’s recent success suggests they know what their doing, and the playoff loses are not attributed to LHRP.
He looks like a decent pickup though.
6 long balls and 12 walks in 25 innings last year. Wonder why he was available? The ERA Gods were kind to him.
Astros have been dumpster diving this off-season. Rosscup, Brinsen, Morgan???
MLB gave them a C for the off-season, only that high because Crane recruited JV.
Click seems afraid to pull the trigger. He’s leaving the Astros short handed again just like he did in 2020. Meanwhile affordable lefties being signed by the competitors.
James Click traded the Astros into the World series last year. Where were your yankees? Home as usual
We had brooks raley and blake taylor last year alone. The Astros imo wont force a signing cause a guy is left handed. And with the 3 batter minimum rule a loogy is worthless unless he gets out both leftys and rightys.
Sad. Hinch told a reporter once that he didn’t believe in lefty/lefty righty/righty matchups… but his lineups would dictate otherwise. Taylor and Raley were sub-par. The rule is recent
I heard some letter is getting released in about 2 weeks. Vengeance!