The good "Chuck" on our pitching staff threw the best game of his major league career last night, giving up only five hits and one walk through seven scoreless innings while striking out four. He was also very economical with his pitches, throwing only 98 pitches. That marks the second straight start in which he's made it through seven innings without passing the 100-pitch mark.
From the AJC:
"It's there," Cox said of Morton's talent. "It's definitely there. No doubt about that. He's just got to stay away from the bad [games]. He's learning. His mound presence was much better, and we found out tonight he can hit." His past two starts were particularly encouraging considering what had happened in his two starts before them, when Morton gave up 12 runs, nine hits and eight walks in just 9 1/3 combined innings. "I know I'm capable of pitching well, but at the same time I'm capable of pitching badly," said Morton, the first to admit a lack of confidence slowed his development for several years in the minors. "It can change in a heartbeat." Charlie's problem for years in the minors is that he would suddenly lose his confidence on the mound in the middle of a game, and that would lead to big innings by the other team. His success has been found after gaining more confidence in his pitches and his ability to pitch out of bad situations. These are the games that we want to see for the rest of the season -- young Braves finding success at the big leave level and gaining confidence in themselves. We're not playing for this year's post-season, but starts like this will help solidify a member of next year's team which will hope to complete for the post-season.
0 recs | 32 comments
Came home...
...after seeing Pineapple Express last night (hilarious) and turned on the TV to see Charlie strike out Reynolds with a great changeup with a RISP, and then drop a sick curveball for strike 3 on Montero the next inning. Frozen.
Smoltz's Beard - August 8, 2008
I think...
...I like this kid.
sddbaker - August 8, 2008
Me too...
other than base running ;)
OntheGo - August 8, 2008
I have to cut him a little slack...
since he was in such unfamiliar territory. I’m not 100% sure of this, but I think I remember the FOX announcers for the game last Saturday, which he pitched, saying he had never had a hit on any level of professional ball. I found it hard to believe, but I’m pretty sure they said it.
sddbaker - August 8, 2008
RANDOM
Top ten prospects:
1) Jason Heyward
2) Jordan Schafer
3) Tommy Hanson
4) Gorkys Hernandez
5) Freddie Freeman
6) Julio Teheran
7) Cole Rohrbough
8) Tyler Flowers
9) Jeff Locke
10) Brandon Hicks
NEBravesFan33 - August 8, 2008
I’ll tell you what, those of you who actually know what you’re talking about when it comes to our minor leagues have me thinking one thing…Tyler Flowers is quickly becoming one of my favorites (and not just becase we have the same first name).
Reading this on BP last month was awesome too:
Smoltz's Beard - August 8, 2008
Who cares if stays behind the plate. We’re already doing pretty well at the catcher position. Give him a first baseman’s glove and clear the path to Atlanta! I would love to see him win the job next spring.
VegasAces - August 8, 2008
Isn’t he only in advanced A? You really think he could challenge Kotchman for 1B next season?
(didn’t mean to shift the discussion of this from Morton)
Smoltz's Beard - August 8, 2008
flowers in my mind is trade bait. freeman is having one hell of a year in rome, and looks to be our 1B of the future. theres no doubt it my mind i’d LOVE to have flowers starting…but freeman is just a dynamo with the bat. this needs more time to play out
bigjoe - August 8, 2008
No way is Flowers just trade bait
Ka’aihue in Rome: 228 AB, .329, 15HR
Freeman in Rome: 430 AB, .312, 18 HR
Ka’aihue struggled with a midseason callup to Myrtle Beach, but still combined to hit 28HR. The next season in Myrtle Beach, Ka’aihue hit .298 w/22HR. He’s since struggled for a while in Mississippi. Plus, one could argue, Ka’aihue was older (21) in Rome than Freeman is now (18), and that is an important factor. Flowers, for what it’s worth, was also 21 in Rome.
Freddie is doing amazing things at a young age, it’s true; but for those of us who were sold on the idea that Ka’aihue was the future at 1st for Atlanta based on his season in Rome, I’m thinking a little caution is wiser. In the meantime, Flowers should be close to ready (he did hit a HR or two in spring training this year with the big club you know), so I’d gladly shop Kotchman as soon as the Braves think Flowers is indeed ready, and let Tyler see what he can do for the Braves. Then make a choice as to who to go with long term, Freeman or Flowers, when and if the time comes. I’m really hoping Freeman is for real, but the Ka’aihue experience has made me not want to trade Flowers.
All of this assumes Flowers moves to first for good. If he stays at catcher, then I guess he would be great trade bait and have more value as a power hitter at that position. He’s a good defensive 1st baseman, though, and if Freeman isn’t ready and we get rid of Kotchman, I hope Flowers is the guy. I’d hate to trade him away, Freeman become a bust, and be left with nothing.
secondbass - August 8, 2008
I never got around to saying....
We should wait and see what Freddie does at higher levels before we even think of trading Flowers.
secondbass - August 8, 2008
Which I now realize is what you said.....
Your last line…...”this needs more time to play out”
The first line is the one that got me thinking….....
secondbass - August 8, 2008
Ka'aihue
He had about nine bad weeks in a row, and went from future starter to bum. Huh? Look at his monthly lines this year:
April: 76 ab; 13:26 (bb:k); .184/.323/.250
May: 91 ab; 18:36; .242/.364/.484
June: 68 ab; 17:19; .338/.477/.618
July: 72 ab; 17:16; .319/.462/.486
August: 16 ab; 7:7; .188/.435/.375
Add to that, according to MiLB.com, in 2007 “Baseball America listed him as the best defensive first baseman in the Carolina League”. Hits for excellent power, has excellent OBP skills, excellent defender, and has been decreasing his k%. How is not at least worth a sentence or two in the First Baseman of the Future discussion?
buzzdeadwax - August 9, 2008
You're preaching to the choir, brother
I liked Ka’aihue – still do. But he struggles mightily when he makes his jumps to the next highest levels, as he did from Rome (.329) to the Beach (.222) in 2006, and then from the Beach (.298) to Mississippi (.129) in 2007. He was very dominant in MB his second time through, but hasn’t shown quite the same massive power he had in both Rome and Myrtle Beach. In 91 ABs this season in Mississippi, he has 10 home runs; in 89 ABs in Myrtle Beach he had 22. That’s quite a drop, especially considering several of those 22 HR must have been hit at the notorious Coastal Field.
I like his steady improvement this year, and I have personally always loved his glove (he was called the ‘Little Cat’ in Rome because he looked like Galarraga and fielded like him). Maybe I’m wrong in thinking his stock has dropped among the minor league fan base, but I rarely see his name mentioned as hope as our 1st baseman of the future – everbody seems to be on the Flowers or Freeman bandwagon, and I confess I’m on it, too. When you have a guy doing what Flowers is doing in MB this year, and you have Freeman impressing in Rome, it’s kind of hard to continue including Kala in the discussion – especially when he gets off to such slow starts and has a heck of a time adjusting to his promotions up the ladder.
I’m pulling for Ka’aihue, I really am. But I’m also pulling for Flowers and Freeman, and something’s got to give!
secondbass - August 9, 2008
and it's 'everybody', not everbody
I’m from the South, but I’m not that Southern….
secondbass - August 9, 2008
LOL (from a SC “veteran”)
Lizziebeth - August 10, 2008
Initial Struggles
I don’t know that that is such a bad thing. The biggest thing you want to see out of a young player is the ability to make adjustments. And Kala has been doing that. When a guy comes to the big leagues, they absolutely must be able to make adjustments. If they can’t, they might put up a line of .228/.288/.350 through the first 4 months of their fourth ML season…hypothetically speaking. I think Kala could be a very good bench player for the Big club – at worst. I would love to have a guy coming off the bench who not only has great power, but will also take a walk and extend an inning. But getting back to bandwagons, I’m very much on the Freeman bandwagon. He’s putting up historic numbers for his age. I think he may end up being better than Ka’aihue or Flowers, but he’s also playing at a lower level than either of these two. So it’s all just a crap shoot. I hope they all end up playing for Atlanta. It would be a great problem to have.
buzzdeadwax - August 9, 2008
Jeez...
...I’m long-winded.
buzzdeadwax - August 9, 2008
“It would be a great problem to have.”
Amen.
secondbass - August 9, 2008
hey. just found THIS on BA’s weekly hot list
bigjoe - August 8, 2008
Those numbers, to quote one of my favorite video games, are…GODLIKE.
Smoltz's Beard - August 8, 2008
seriously…on base 73 percent of the time? thats just absurd
bigjoe - August 8, 2008
teheran is still going on HYPE alone. i’d rather see someone like kimbrel up there (who is just DOMINATING in both danville and now rome) aside from someone who has pitched something like 7 professional innings
bigjoe - August 8, 2008
Schafer?
Can you really justify putting him at #2 at this point? Hanson is proving more successful at a higher level. Heck, you could debate whether Jordan’s the top CF prospect in our system! Just off the top of my head, I’d probably slip him out of the top 5 (Heyward, Hanson, Flowers, Freeman and Hernandez in some order) at this point…
ejruiz - August 8, 2008
God I hope Chaz Morton is good
Here’s a brief rundown of the young SP prospects developed by the Braves that I can remember from the last few years.
Jo-Jo Reyes
Matt Harrison
Anthony Lerew
Kyle Davies
Chuck James
Dan Meyer
Horacio Ramirez
Jung Bong
Damian Moss
Adam Wainwright
Jason Marquis
When the most successful Braves name on that list is Ho-Ram, you know you’ve got a problem. I’m still holding out hope on the Jo-Jo, but he’s gotta get a little more minor league seasoning.
jc25 - August 8, 2008
I don't know about Jo Jo....
He may just need to get a little major league seasoning….with the season lost, why not get him up here in some no-pressure situations and see if the can put things together. Glavine and Smoltz took their lumps when they first came up, so I say let Jo Jo rip!
secondbass - August 8, 2008
Ramirez > Wainwright???
Maybe I’m splitting hairs, but Adam has been worth more in single seasons than Horacio has been throughout his career! I’m going with my gut there, but it feels right…
ejruiz - August 8, 2008
I qualified it...
But probably could’ve been clearer. I meant most successful in a Braves uni. Wainwright is aces against everyone else on that list, and Marquis is probably second. But the bottom line is that the Braves have been ghastly at developing pitchers for a LONG time (excluding Wainwright, who bought them one division title), and it’s my strong hypothesis that this problem, more than anything else, is what has contributed to the Braves’ problems.
jc25 - August 9, 2008
i know it falls outside of the “last few years”, but jason schmidt is at the top of that heap, even if his career might be over
bigjoe - August 9, 2008
Charlie Morton.
He needs to keep his emotions in check and he’ll turn out to be a great one. I’ll count him as a #3 or #4 in 2009 and hope for more beyond!
ejruiz - August 8, 2008
C-MO
Thats his nickname. Or what I’ve been calling him haha.
jjcollins - August 9, 2008
i still throw a vote in for GOOD CHUCK for the rest of the year, though BAD CHUCK has been demoted…
bigjoe - August 9, 2008
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