Mere moments before the team’s annual fan convention was to begin, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded starting pitcher Charlie Morton to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Ostensibly, this move was made to release Morton’s $8 million salary to pursue other avenues of filling their remaining needs.
The move came as a bit of surprise to many. It’s fair to look to Morton as one of the pillars of the team’s radical change in embracing defensive shifting. Earning the nickname of “Ground Chuck,” Morton was by far the most tenured of any pitcher on the Pirates’ 2015 roster, having come over to the team in 2009. After immediately joined the big league club, Morton became the shining example that Pirates brass would point to to justify their defensive philosophies.
Morton earned that nickname, with a ground ball percentage of at least 55 or higher for the past five seasons, with a 62.9 percent figure in 2011 as the highlight. Clearly the team felt strongly about Morton’s ability following the 2013 season, seeing fit to extend his contract by three years and $21 million. At the time, Morton seemed a good bet against uncertain futures in Francisco Liriano and Wandy Rodriguez.
So, why did the Pirates feel it important to get themselves out from under that same contract?
Perhaps it’s because they could not longer wait for Morton to find consistency.
For all of Morton’s ground ball success rate, he would still struggle with control. Over his career, Morton has posted a 3.4 BB/9 (walks per nine innings) rating, suggesting a strong problem with keeping his lively sinking fastball in the zone. Despite his “electric stuff,” Morton’s career WHIP (Walks and hits divided by innings pitched) has always been less than stellar, with a 1.38 rating in 2015 representing an increase over his 2014 number.
Perhaps that was to be expected, as Morton had a delayed start to his year after hip surgery. Still, it had to be hard for the team not to be underwhelmed with Morton’s 4.81 ERA (backed by a 4.19 FIP). If that left the club with a lackluster feeling, then Morton’s 14.41 percent home run-to-flyball ratio had to be downright alarming. For all of his perceived faults and shortcomings, Morton did an adequate job of keeping the ball in the park, but that, too, was failing him in 2015.
The funny thing about time is that it’s gone in the blink of an eye. When the Pirates came up for air by trading Morton after seven years with the club, all that was left is a career 41-62 record, a crooked 4.39 ERA, and a milquetoast 1.95 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
While it’s true that Charlie Morton’s unique knack for ground balls helped the club forge a new identity, credit the Pittsburgh Pirates for recognizing that Morton’s tendency for easy outs did not equate to a consistent, dependable presence.
