Morlan came out of the 2004 draft in the third round, and reported to the Rookie Gulf Coast League Twins. Sounds like business as usual, right?
Wrong. Morlan could have started in A ball. The Twins were so deep in players that they didn't have enough spots to put him where they thought he deserved to be.
Perhaps the batters facing him should have received asterisks for their seasons. It's almost unheard of to see hurlers who can throw heat at 95 to 96 mph with great control stay very long in the Rooks.
Our sources tell us that he needs more polished pitching to be a starter. Read: More pitches. He approaches the mound like a big attack dog. Why not? His fastballs have teeth, and he throws a power slider.
To make it to the big leagues though, beyond a career in the bullpen as a short reliever, you need guile as well as muscle.
In 2004, Morlan went 1-2, with a 2.84 ERA and 1 save in 11 games and 25 innings pitched.
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Player: Eduardo Morlan
Position: Pitcher
(P)
Height: 6-2
Weight: 210
Birthdate: 03.01.86
Birthplace
High School: Coral Park High School
Bats: R
Throws: R
Organization: Minnesota
Twins
Acquired: Twins, 2004 Draft, 3rd Round, 91st OA
Signed By: Brad Weitzel
Last Ballclub: Beloit
Snappers
2004 FAB50 Ranking: NR
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He had 28 strikeouts, 11 walks, and one home run in those 25.
This year he began with Elizabeton. He went 2-0 with a smokin' 0.82 ERA, a stingy 2 earned runs, no home runs and 30 strikeouts in 22 innings pitched.
Morlan was promoted to Beloit on July 22nd, where he's doing well but he's learning that you have to have more to fool better batters. His ERA to date is 3.45 on 31.1 innings of work. He has 35 strikeotus, 12 earned runs, three of them dingers, and 18 BBs.
An early health warning was that he had an enlarged heart. The condition was either cleared or medicated, but he was allowed to play, and he signed a $420,000 dollar deal with the Twins, so we assume they are confident in his continued good health enough to take a chance on him.
Morlan is a grad of Coral Park High, the same school that produced famed steroid snitch Jose Canseco. Well, at least they can hold their heads high with Eduardo.
We see big league for Morlan. He comes in at No. 46 in the MLN FAB50™ Baseball 2005 survey because he's still green as a newly felled tree and we have to see what the Twins will do with him. If they can mold him into a multi-faceted tool with three or more pitches, and his health remains good, he might fast track to the starting rotation. If not, he might be gracing the bullpen sometime in 2006. He has the potential to skip Triple-A under the right circumstances.
