MLB : “Brody Brecht isn't the only former multisport athlete with upside on Iowa's pitching staff. Morgan comes from a basketball family - both parents and all four of his siblings played in college, including a brother and sister who played professionally - and had college scholarship offers to play shooting guard and quarterback before focusing on baseball. His ERA doubled from 3.72 as a sophomore to 7.45 this spring as scouts were critical of the Hawkeyes' pitch-calling and tinkering with his repertoire.
Morgan throws five different pitches, including a 91-93 mph fastball that reaches 96 with a lot of armside run and carry that make it difficult to control, as did the fact that he threw it only one third of the time as a junior. His best offering remains his slider, though evaluators prefer the tighter mid-80s version he employed in 2023 than the slower and sweepier edition Iowa had him use this year. He also lost effectiveness and velocity on his now upper-80s cutter, and he can mix in an upper-80s changeup with sink and a low-80s curveball.
Despite his twitchy athleticism and a sound delivery, Morgan issued 125 walks in 135 innings during three seasons in college. He might be better off paring down his repertoire and throwing more fastballs to improve his command of the pitch. At his best, he flashes three plus offerings and he has the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter if he can provide a lot more strikes.”
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