Bryan Morgado

Name: Bryan Morgado
Position: LHP
Bats: LH
Throws: LH
DOB: 12/8/88 (22 as of April 1, 2011)
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 205 lbs
Drafted: 4^th round, 2010 ($182,700 bonus)

Pre Draft Report: Bryan Morgado was originally drafted in the 34^th round of the 2006 draft by the Red Sox out of Florida Christian HS in Miami.  Heading into that draft, Baseball America ranked him as the 43^rd best prospect in Florida and the 35^th best high school senior in the country.  However, he ended up getting injured the summer after he was drafted, enrolled at Tennessee, and ended up having Tommy John surgery in October 2006.  As a result, he redshirted his freshman year and made his collegiate debut in 2008.  He struck out 12 in his first game with the Vols en route to being named a Freshman All-American.  After beginning the 2009 season in Tennessee’s rotation, he was ultimately moved to the bullpen and ended the season with a 6.36 ERA.  Nonetheless, he was drafted in the 3^rd round of the ’09 draft by the White Sox.  Prior to the ’09 draft, Morgado was rated the 4^th best prospect in Tennessee and the 139^th ranked in the nation.  After a very good summer in the Cape Cod League, Morgado potentially overplayed his leverage and couldn’t come to an agreement with the White Sox.

In 2010, Morgado returned to the Volunteers’ rotation, pitching 68.1 innings with a 74/36 K/BB ratio.  Both his batting average against (.289) and ERA (7.90) were the worst of his college career and by the end of the season, he had again lost his place in Tennessee’s rotation.  BA still rated him as the #3 prospect in Tennessee, and its report was puzzled as to why Morgado’s stuff never translated into success in college.  He pitched at 91-94, but would run up as high as 97 mph, but his control was erratic, even when he tried to throttle his hard stuff down to 88-91.  He also had a hard slider in the low-80s.  The report also mentioned that composure on the mound was a problem and his confidence was shaken by his poor collegiate career.  PG Crosscheckers named Morgado as its “Prospect on the Decline” in Tennessee prior to the draft.

The Phillies selected Morgado in the 4^th round.  He signed on July 1 and was assigned to Williamsport.

Career Synopsis: Morgado made his debut for Williamsport, pitching 16.1 innings solely out of the bullpen.  While the sample size was small, his performance in some ways mimicked his college career:  21 strikeouts, a .190 BAA, 1.15 GO/FO, and just 11 hits.  On the flip side, 22 walks over that period contributed to a 7.71 ERA.  His game log shows that he was typically either on or off—11 of his earned runs and 10 of his walks came in just 2.2 innings scattered over four games.

Scouting Report: Below is an assessment of Morgado’s raw tools, rated on the traditional 20-80 scouting scale. The grades are my estimation based on what I’ve read and those I’ve talked to. The second number is a future projection, the first number is the current assessment

Arm Strength: 60

Fastball: 55

Control: 35

Command: 30

Mechanics: 30

Durability: 45

Secondary Pitches: 40

Summary: Morgado’s fastball is above average, bordering on plus, but it doesn’t play up more because his control and command are both below average, due largely to inconsistent mechanics. His slider is a solid pitch, but his changeup is below average and underutilized.

Upside:  Morgado is a lefty who throws very hard and has developed an average-to-above average slider.  He’s also a pitcher who has had control and mechanical issues everywhere he’s pitched.  His performance at Williamsport should be viewed in the context of his mechanics being completely reworked after signing, and those mechanics being continuously tweaked as he progressed through the season.  Obviously, control is going to be the lynchpin to Morgado developing into a legit prospect, but as a lefty who can still hit 96 on the gun, the Phillies will most likely be patient with him.  Perhaps no other high draftee from 2010 has more questions entering 2011:  Starter or reliever?  Where will he pitch?  Can new mechanics improve his control?  If everything works out on the positive side, Morgado could become a prospective midlevel starter or a fast-moving power arm from the ‘pen, but for now, there are too many questions to think of Morgado as anything more than a raw, toolsy pitcher who needs to improve a lot (and relatively quickly) to avoid falling off the radar.

Videos:

As you can see here, Morgado’s delivery has a lot of moving parts. After starting his delivery, he pauses slightly and hangs over the rubber, before beginning his multi part move toward the plate. He comes from a lowish three quarter arm slot, which should make him quite tough on lefties. Staying in sync with his delivery has been his biggest issue, which leads to command and control issues. You can also see him slow his arm down a tad bit when throwing his changeup, which is something he’ll have to try and correct going forward. He does have impressive arm strength, and when he’s in sync and dialed in, he can be tough to hit.

Articles:

Profile Updated: 5 February 2011