The Pittsburgh Pirates announced a trade Thursday acquiring Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Hunter Morris in exchange for a player to be named later.
Morris, 26, appeared to have a bright future after a breakout 2013 minor league season that earned him recognition from the Brewers as Brewers Organizational Player of the Year in 2012. Morris batted .303 with 28 home runs and 113 RBI that season. Since then, his progression has stalled.
Morris, a left-handed batter and right-handed thrower was a fourth-round draft pick in 2010. He attended school at Auburn batting .318 with 23 home runs and 82 RBI in two seasons at Auburn University. Among his honors while at Auburn were SEC Freshman of the Year, All-SEC Second Team, All-SEC Rookie Team, Louisville Slugger and Baseball America Freshman All-American and Preseason All-SEC First Team from Baseball America.
For the majority of the past two seasons, Morris has been in Triple-A and in 2014 batted .275 with 11 home runs and 45 RBI.
Morris was hoping to earn a call-up with the Brewers struggling to replace Prince Fielder at first base, but was hit by a pitch June 29, breaking the ulna bone on his right wrist.
“It was frustrating, the way everything played out,” Morris said to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I felt like was getting back on track. The timing was just so bad. I didn’t get back until there were only two weeks left in the season.”
The stakes this spring were high for Morris who felt his Brewers career was not over.
“He needs to have a good year this year, get back on that right track,” manager Ron Roenicke said to Haudricourt. “He hasn’t performed well in spring trainings for us. That’s the hard part, that we don’t get to see him when he’s really good.”
Morris did not meet those expectations going 3-for 13 at the plate with four strikeouts in nine games. As a result, the Brewers designated Morris for assignment on Jan. 19 in order to fill his spot with winter acquisitions. The Brewers signed Adam Lind in November who will be starting at first base.
“I have to play myself to the big leagues with Milwaukee or play well enough that somebody else wants me,” said Morris. “It’s certainly an uphill battle but not at all impossible.”
Currently the Indianapolis Indians roster listed online does not have a first baseman listed, though Debinson Romero and Brent Morel may see time at first base meaning Morris could either start or backup one of them at first base. Indianapolis however now has a player who has first base experience.
As Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects says, this may be the final piece in the puzzle for Andrew Lambo making the Opening Day roster. Morris is a natural first baseman while Romero and Morel are used to playing third base.
Morris was not on Milwaukee’s 40-man roster, so the Pirates do not need to make any corresponding moves.
