Ryan Morris

Ryan Morris - Left-handed Pitcher
Age: 20 Height: 6'3" Weight: 175 Bats: Left Throws: Left

	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	K	BB9	K9	WHIP
2007 GCL/Lake	3	2	3.89	14	14	0	64.7	44	28	2	31	53	4.31	7.37	1.16
Career	4	7	4.23	23	22	0	93.7	73	44	5	44	75	4.23	7.20	1.25

History: The Indians selected Morris in the 4th round of the 2006 Draft out of high school (Charlotte, NC). He made his professional debut that same year as an 18-year old with the Gulf Coast league (GCL) Indians, going 1-5 with a 4.61 ERA and in 27.1 innings game up 27 hits, 12 walks, and struck out 21.

Strengths & Opportunities: Morris is a fierce competitor on the mound, and his makeup is off the charts. He features a four-seam fastball that consistently clocks in at 87-91 MPH, and has natural sink. He also throws a curveball and changeup, with his changeup being the better of the two at this time. His curveball has good tilt and a lot of separation from his fastball, which creates a lot of deception and he has shown some ability to get some swing and misses with it. Morris saw a significant increase in his velocity going into his draft year, and saw it increase some again last year with the Indians. At 6'3" 175 pounds, he has a projectable body where as he matures and fills out he should also get stronger and add more velocity to his fastball.

Last year, Morris went through his first spring training and extended spring and showed a lot of improvement at such a young age. When short-season leagues started in June, he was assigned to the GCL team again, and blew away the numbers he had there the previous year as in five starts he went 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA and in 25 innings only allowed 13 hits, 8 walks and struck out 22. He also held opposing hitters to a .148 batting average. He followed that up with a promotion to Lake County where he held his own, going 0-2 with a 5.22 ERA and in 39.2 innings allowed 31 hits, 23 walks, and struck out 31. He held opposing hitters to a .217 batting average, and combined at Lake County and the GCL left-handers only hit .153 against him.

Going forward, Morris will continue working on refining his control and command. Also, for young pitchers, the Indians spend a lot of time teaching them to be professional pitchers, how to setup hitters and finish them off, throwing first pitch strikes, not nibbling and being aggressive in getting guys out, and getting beat with their best pitch.

Outlook: The 2006 Draft is looking like one of the Indians best drafts in years, and if some of the young pitchers like Morris develop as hoped it would be a no-brainer. Morris is a left-handed pitcher to keep an eye on this coming season to see his growth not only physically, but as a pitcher as well. He will most likely start the season in the Lake County rotation.

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