Philadelphia Phillies: Three players who could surprise in 2020
By David Esser
While it was short-lived, Adam Morgan showed flashes of serious ability in 2019.
Prior to getting injured, Adam Morgan was the Phillies’ go-to lefty coming out of the bullpen. Morgan was so good early on that he actually posted a full-on 0.00 ERA through his first 15 appearances of the season.
Morgan obviously didn’t keep up that insane form, as he experienced some forearm issues which resulted in a quite drastic drop off in production during the months of May and June. He eventually settled back into things in early July, before seeing his season officially end as his forearm injury worsened. He finished 2019 with a 3.94 ERA and 1.011 WHIP through 29.2 innings.
At just 30 years of age, the Phillies organization is likely still expecting a lot from Adam Morgan going forward into the future. Outside of Jose Alvarez, Morgan is easily their most talented lefty reliever. Cole Irvin and Francisco Liriano are expected to make a push for that role as well this year, but there’s no guarantee either will be remotely productive.
One of the biggest hurdles Morgan will have to face in 2020 is that of the newly imposed “three batter minimum” rule. Teams are no longer allowed to send out relievers for just one at bat, instead they’ll have to work at least three entire batters. Morgan has normally been used as a lefty specialist in his career, as his opponent batting average sits 60 points lower when facing lefties versus facing righties.
Despite all that, Morgan will likely start off 2020 as an integral piece to the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen. The front office did little to nothing in addressing the team’s ‘pen this offseason, and Joe Girardi is used to having a wide variety of relievers to work with. Morgan was excellent in the beginning of 2019, and if he’s currently healthy, Girardi could expect similar production in 2020.
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Morgan was turned to early and often in 2019, and prior to his forearm injury, he was the team’s best overall relief pitcher. If everything clicks for Morgan like it did last year, he could have a seriously productive season under a far improved coaching staff. The Phillies would surely appreciate him turning into a solid bullpen option as well moving forward.