2023 Prospect Previews: Andrew Morris

I'm all for darts on pitchers as much as possible that far into the draft! Looks like he has some stuff...

Funny he was ranked #228 yet we picked him #114 overall. That's quite a difference.

I don't really understand pitcher picks all that much other than those in the first couple of rounds.  I thought the pick was OK but being he was a Senior sign I thought the Twins would save a bit more money on that pick to spread to later picks.  As most people say pitchers seems to be a numbers game to some extent.  Grab as many quality arms as you can get and hope the development team can turn them into something.

I will say at the time of their picks I gave Varland and Festa no chance to be starters and thought they might not even be viable relievers.  Nowlin seemed like a dart pick to me as well.  All three look like they are developing good stuff.  Which goes to show I don't know much about pitching prospects especially just out of the draft.

The Twins picked him high and gave him close to slot so they are believers and they know far more about this young man than I do.  Hoping this is another arm in the Povich mold who I also thought was a reach where they picked him. I will be watching all the 2022 pitchers closely hoping to pin my hopes on a dominant arm that can make it in the Majors. Hopefully Morris is the one.

“His fastball sits between 91-94 mph and tops out at 96 mph with some riding life. It’s likely the Twins will work to add some more velocity as he spends more time in the organization”
 

Why is that likely? You’re probably right, but it makes me scratch my head nonetheless. If they want him to have a chance to be a starter that can consistently go at least 5-6 innings, why make squeezing more velocity out of him a priority? He’s 6’-0”…I can’t imagine there’s a ton more velocity projection in a starting scenario. 91+ sound be fine if he commands this and a couple other offerings. And that’s what I would assume they would focus on first? Additional fastball velocity would be a much much lower priority in my mind, at least until the time they were to give up and convert him to full-time reliever.

33 minutes ago, jkcarew said:

“His fastball sits between 91-94 mph and tops out at 96 mph with some riding life. It’s likely the Twins will work to add some more velocity as he spends more time in the organization”
 

Why is that likely? You’re probably right, but it makes me scratch my head nonetheless. If they want him to have a chance to be a starter that can consistently go at least 5-6 innings, why make squeezing more velocity out of him a priority? He’s 6’-0”…I can’t imagine there’s a ton more velocity projection in a starting scenario. 91+ sound be fine if he commands this and a couple other offerings. And that’s what I would assume they would focus on first? Additional fastball velocity would be a much much lower priority in my mind, at least until the time they were to give up and convert him to full-time reliever.

Because pitchers don't throw that slowly anymore.....not good to great ones. It's a different world than even 5 years ago.

1 hour ago, jkcarew said:

“His fastball sits between 91-94 mph and tops out at 96 mph with some riding life. It’s likely the Twins will work to add some more velocity as he spends more time in the organization”
 

Why is that likely? You’re probably right, but it makes me scratch my head nonetheless. If they want him to have a chance to be a starter that can consistently go at least 5-6 innings, why make squeezing more velocity out of him a priority? He’s 6’-0”…I can’t imagine there’s a ton more velocity projection in a starting scenario. 91+ sound be fine if he commands this and a couple other offerings. And that’s what I would assume they would focus on first? Additional fastball velocity would be a much much lower priority in my mind, at least until the time they were to give up and convert him to full-time reliever.

The AVERAGE MLB fastball last season was 93.9 MPH........there just isn't a lot of starting pitchers in baseball anymore (outside of some lefty junk ballers) who throw a 91 MPH fastball.  Think Dylan Bundy.

Many pitchers add a couple more mph to the fastball after working with a professional staff for a few months. I'd look more for increased spin rates and a much improved change-up in improve his pitchability. Everybody works harder on command and control, so I'd expect some improvement there.

7 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Funny he was ranked #228 yet we picked him #114 overall. That's quite a difference.

Just one ranking, wouldn't read to much into it. Twins also like to target guys 'on the rise' in these rounds. He had a really good stretch middle to end of season and some outlets aren't updating rankings past the top 100-150 in that much depth.

7 hours ago, jkcarew said:

“His fastball sits between 91-94 mph and tops out at 96 mph with some riding life. It’s likely the Twins will work to add some more velocity as he spends more time in the organization”
 

Why is that likely? You’re probably right, but it makes me scratch my head nonetheless. If they want him to have a chance to be a starter that can consistently go at least 5-6 innings, why make squeezing more velocity out of him a priority? He’s 6’-0”…I can’t imagine there’s a ton more velocity projection in a starting scenario. 91+ sound be fine if he commands this and a couple other offerings. And that’s what I would assume they would focus on first? Additional fastball velocity would be a much much lower priority in my mind, at least until the time they were to give up and convert him to full-time reliever.

I hear what you're saying. It's likely because the Twins are really good at it and they try and do it with everyone. My guess, for someone who spent 3 years at a D II school and one year at a Big 12 school is that there's room for more. Bet the Twins have already accessed it some.

8 hours ago, Jamie Cameron said:

Just one ranking, wouldn't read to much into it. Twins also like to target guys 'on the rise' in these rounds. He had a really good stretch middle to end of season and some outlets aren't updating rankings past the top 100-150 in that much depth.

Thanks, I figured he was a good pick. His home state CO would have picked him up the same round if MN didn't choose him.

We like guys named Morris. Let's see what he can do with some time, patience and coaching. 

Who knows? Seems solid considering where he was picked but sometimes you hit it big in lower rounds. Edouard Julien comes to mind. 

On 3/2/2023 at 1:30 PM, Mike Sixel said:

Because pitchers don't throw that slowly anymore.....not good to great ones. It's a different world than even 5 years ago.

91-94 (as quoted in the article) is very close to current mlb average.  Also, Kenta Maeda.

Still, I'm not saying he (or anyone) wouldn't benefit from more velo...just that I don't see why that would be a priority yet...and I hope it would not come at the expense of stamina/durability so that he can get a good look as a starter.

On 3/2/2023 at 2:46 PM, cheeseheadgophfan said:

The AVERAGE MLB fastball last season was 93.9 MPH........there just isn't a lot of starting pitchers in baseball anymore (outside of some lefty junk ballers) who throw a 91 MPH fastball.  Think Dylan Bundy.

Or think Kenta Maeda...including 2020 Kenta Maeda.

The average would include relievers.  So, I'd bet the average MLB starter fastball was less than 93.9mph.  And regardless, the article states he's already throwing his fastball 91-94.