Charlie Morton Solid again for Braves

by gondeee on Aug 8, 2008 8:53 AM EDT in Game Recaps Comment 32 comments

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.

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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.

I guess I should be one to talk.
There's nights that I can't even walk.
There's days I couldn't give a fuck.
And in between is where I'm stuck.

by Smoltz's Beard on Aug 8, 2008 9:31 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think...

...I like this kid.

by sddbaker on Aug 8, 2008 10:28 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Me too...

other than base running ;)

by OntheGo on Aug 8, 2008 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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.

by sddbaker on Aug 8, 2008 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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

by NEBravesFan33 on Aug 8, 2008 2:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

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:

Flowers had a career game on Friday night for the Pelicans, going 3-for-4 with four runs scored, a double, a pair of home runs, and seven RBI in a 22-3 thrashing of Lynchburg. One of the more interesting prospects in the system, Flowers is an absolutely massive presence at the plate and behind it, standing at 6’4” and tipping the scales at somewhere around 250 pounds. His .259/.407/.427 line shows how great his strike zone control is, as he’s walked 58 times in 239 at-bats, and playing in one of the worst hitters parks around belies his power, for on the road he has seven home runs in 126 at-bats. The key to his future is his defense, and right now the chances of him staying behind the plate are right around 50/50.

I guess I should be one to talk.
There's nights that I can't even walk.
There's days I couldn't give a fuck.
And in between is where I'm stuck.

by Smoltz's Beard on Aug 8, 2008 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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.

by VegasAces on Aug 8, 2008 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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)

I guess I should be one to talk.
There's nights that I can't even walk.
There's days I couldn't give a fuck.
And in between is where I'm stuck.

by Smoltz's Beard on Aug 8, 2008 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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

Following the Braves...one long hard drink at a time.

by bigjoe on Aug 8, 2008 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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.

by secondbass on Aug 8, 2008 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I never got around to saying....

We should wait and see what Freddie does at higher levels before we even think of trading Flowers.

by secondbass on Aug 8, 2008 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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….....

by secondbass on Aug 8, 2008 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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?

by buzzdeadwax on Aug 9, 2008 6:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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!

by secondbass on Aug 9, 2008 8:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

and it's 'everybody', not everbody

I’m from the South, but I’m not that Southern….

by secondbass on Aug 9, 2008 8:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

LOL (from a SC “veteran”)

by Lizziebeth on Aug 10, 2008 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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.

by buzzdeadwax on Aug 9, 2008 9:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jeez...

...I’m long-winded.

by buzzdeadwax on Aug 9, 2008 9:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

“It would be a great problem to have.”

Amen.

by secondbass on Aug 9, 2008 11:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

hey. just found THIS on BA’s weekly hot list

No. 12 TYLER FLOWERS, C
BRAVES
Team: high Class A Myrtle Beach (Carolina)
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: .625/.727/1.250 (10-for-16), 5 R, 4 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBIs, 6 BB, 1 IBB, 1 SO
The Scoop: Myrtle Beach has long had a reputation as a power-sapping park, but Flowers has avoided that roadblock this season. He’s steadily gotten better as the season has progressed—and perhaps bringin in the fences has helped. He batted .256/.391/.411 in April and has seen his month-by-month numbers climb. He’s also showing very good plate discipline as he’s been walked 86 times and struck out 85. He’s considered the best receiver in the system behind Clint Sammons, so his offensive production is looking like a nice bonus for the Braves.

Following the Braves...one long hard drink at a time.

by bigjoe on Aug 8, 2008 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Those numbers, to quote one of my favorite video games, are…GODLIKE.

I guess I should be one to talk.
There's nights that I can't even walk.
There's days I couldn't give a fuck.
And in between is where I'm stuck.

by Smoltz's Beard on Aug 8, 2008 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

seriously…on base 73 percent of the time? thats just absurd

Following the Braves...one long hard drink at a time.

by bigjoe on Aug 8, 2008 5:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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

Following the Braves...one long hard drink at a time.

by bigjoe on Aug 8, 2008 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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…

Here we go again: http://thefulldeck.blogspot.com/

by ejruiz on Aug 8, 2008 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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.

by jc25 on Aug 8, 2008 5:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

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!

by secondbass on Aug 8, 2008 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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…

Here we go again: http://thefulldeck.blogspot.com/

by ejruiz on Aug 8, 2008 6:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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.

by jc25 on Aug 9, 2008 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs