Charlie Morton pitched for the Mississippi Braves at AT&T this past summer.
photo by Tim Evearitt
ATLANTA -- Charlie Morton's rapid rise toward the Majors has accelerated over the past week. The 24-year-old right-hander made a positive first impression on manager Bobby Cox in Arizona last week, and on Tuesday afternoon, found himself as one of three players added to the Braves' 40-man roster.
Joining Morton as new additions to Atlanta's 40-man roster were fellow right-handed pitchers Jairo Cuevas and Zach Schreiber. Both Morton and Schreiber are hard-throwing right-handers with a definite chance to benefit the Atlanta bullpen at some point during the upcoming season.
Had they not been placed on the 40-man roster, each of these right-handed hurlers would have been unprotected for the Dec. 6 Rule 5 Draft. Unprotected players will include college draftees who have tallied at least four years of professional experience, and high school draftees or free agent signees who have been in the pro ranks for at least five years.
Because Jordan Schafer was selected out of Winter Haven (Fla.) High School in 2005, there was no need for the Braves to protect him on their 40-man roster. But this certainly doesn't diminish his chance to begin next season as Atlanta's starting center fielder.
Currently, Schafer, Josh Anderson and Gregor Blanco are slated to battle for the center field role. But the Braves say they'll continue looking for a more experienced option to fill that need.
Schafer, who has never played above Class A, has received plenty of attention over the past two months. The more recent addition to the publicity trail has been Morton, who like Schafer, impressed while playing in front of Cox in the Arizona Fall League last week.
"Two players really excelled out there, Morton, a right-handed pitcher, and Schafer, the center fielder," Cox said. "If push comes to shove, both guys could be in contention for [a 25-man roster spot] also."
In six appearances (five starts) with the Peoria Javelinas, Morton was 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA. A third-round selection in the fruitful 2002 First-Year Player Draft, the 6-foot-5, 218-pound righty found success as he began trusting his stuff and throwing his pitches with more conviction during the latter portion of this summer with Double-A Mississippi.
Morton, who had spent the previous three seasons in Class A, possesses a fastball that has been clocked at 96 mph and a curveball that some scouts have termed "nasty."
Schreiber, who also has a fastball that has been clocked in the mid 90s, posted a 2.31 ERA and limited opponents to a .188 batting average in 58 combined appearances with Mississippi and Triple-A Richmond. He will be a darkhorse to win a bullpen spot in Spring Training.
Cuevas, who was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003, went 6-12 with a 3.55 ERA in 25 starts with Class A Myrtle Beach in 2007. The 23-year-old right-hander's maturation process has moved a little slower than expected.
To make room on the 40-man roster for the three right-handers, the Braves designated Pete Orr for assignment. Orr hit .200 in just 65 at-bats with Atlanta and spent July and August with Richmond.
Bennett impressing: When it comes time for the Braves to fill the final spots in their rotation, there's a definite chance they'll be starting the 2008 season with Jeff Bennett on their big league roster. In seven starts with LaGuira in the Venezuelan Winter League, he has gone 3-1 with a 1.25 ERA.
Although he didn't even join Richmond's starting rotation until the latter weeks of this past season, Bennett is one of four pitchers the Braves project to be battling for the final spot in their rotation. With the assumption that Mike Hampton will be healthy, the other three hurlers battling for that fifth spot will be Jair Jurrjens, Chuck James and Jo-Jo Reyes.
If Bennett doesn't win a spot, there's certainly a chance the Braves could keep him in the Majors as a reliever. The 27-year-old right-hander, who has spent the majority of his career as a reliever, is out of options and the Braves aren't likely going to risk losing him to another organization.
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From MLB.com