The Guardians Have A New Secret Weapon In Their Bullpen
The Cleveland Guardians' calling card will always be pitching. It's been that way for over the last decade and, looking at the state of the farm system, it'll be this way for years to come.
The organization has a number of highly ranked prospects including those we've already seen at the Big League level including Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen. Others in the waiting and on their way are Gavin Willaims, Joey Cantillo, and Daniel Espino.
However, there's one pitcher who is flying under the radar and could emerge as the team's x-factor for the rest of this season and the future. That's right-handed pitcher Cody Morris.
It may be a name some fans are familiar with, but he'll be known through Cleveland households in no time.
The key for Morris will be staying healthy. Injuries are one of the reasons that he's flown under the radar so far in his career. But there's no denying what he can do when he isn't batting to stay on the mound.
Morris made his MLB debut in 2022 as a starter. He entered the rotation when Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale simultaneously went on the IL last September. Cody went on to pitch in seven games, starting in five of them, while posting an ERA of 2.28, and was in the 91st percentile in fastball spin.
He made one postseason appearance against the New York Yankees and pitched two perfect innings of relief.
That takes us to 2023 when Morris' season debut was yet again delayed by another shoulder injury. Thankfully, it didn't take him until Fall to recover and Cody made his debut on Tuesday night in San Diego.
Morris pitched one clean inning while recording one strikeout. Something that made some eyes pop in this appearance was his fastball up to 97 mph. This is much higher than in 2022 when his average was just 94.6 mph.
Cody has the stuff to be one of the best setup men in baseball and bridge the gap to Emmanuel Clase. Health will always be a factor but until more teams get a look at him, Morris can be Cleveland's secret weapon.
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