Andrew Morris, who will be the opener for a bullpen game against the Kansas City Royals tonight, has emerged as one of the Minnesota Twins' best relievers lately. After recording a poor 7.20 ERA in 10 innings across his first four MLB outings in April, the 24-year-old right-hander has posted a strong 1.88 ERA and a 2.89 FIP in 14 1/3 innings over 13 appearances since April 30. Even during his rough first four appearances, Morris posted a solid 3.30 FIP.
Morris is showing why he was once a top Twins prospect, ranking No. 13 in the organization before the season per MLB Pipeline. He hasn't been striking out batters at a high rate, posting a 20.0% strikeout rate (34th percentile) this season, but he has the pitch mix to be a high-strikeout arm. He's managed to be successful by limiting hard contact; the right-hander has an average exit velocity of 85.9 mph (92nd percentile), a barrel rate of 2.6% (95th percentile) and a hard-hit rate of 32.1% (82nd percentile). Additionally, Morris has a solid walk rate of 8.2% (57th percentile).
Morris has been a key bullpen arm for the Twins
In a bullpen full of questions, Morris has been an answer for Minnesota. While he was a starter for most of his minor-league career, Morris is proving he can be an effective high-leverage reliever in the big leagues. It's possible Minnesota will convert him back to a starter at some point, but for now, the team appears to like him in the bullpen.
Morris relies heavily on his four-seamer, which has averaged 96 mph and reached 99 mph this season, throwing it 41% of the time. He complements his four-seamer with a low-80s sweeper (19.2% pitch usage), a high-80s cutter (14.1%), a sinker (14.1%), a mid-to-high-80s changeup (8.3%) and a low-70s curveball (3.6%).
While Morris hasn't pitched more than 1 1/3 innings in an outing in over a month, he has recorded three or more innings in three appearances since making his MLB debut. With Morris being the opener today, he may be counted on to throw two or three innings before giving way to the rest of the bullpen.
Game 1 of a four-game series between the Twins and Royals is scheduled to begin at 6:40 p.m. CDT tonight. Right-hander Seth Lugo is slated to start for Kansas City. The game will be available to stream on Twins.TV.
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