Nyjer Morgan Stats & Scouting Report

AB	1953
AVG	.282
OBP	.343
SLG	.366
HR	12

Full name Nyjer Jamid Morgan
Born 07/02/1980 in San Francisco, CA
Profile Ht.: 5'10" / Wt.: 180 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Walla Walla CC
Debut 09/01/2007
Drafted in the 33rd round (973rd overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2002.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Morgan played four years of junior hockey in Alberta before turning his focus to baseball. He had a slow and injury-filled climb through the system, after shoulder surgery cost him much of the 2005 season and a torn thumb ligament limited him to 44 games in Triple-A in 2007. However, he did enough in his limited minor league time in 2007 to get a September callup to the major leagues and make an impression. Former manager Jim Tracy played Morgan regularly in center field and the leadoff spot, and he responded by getting on base at a .359 clip and making highlight-reel plays. His strength is game-changing speed that he uses both on the bases and in the field. While he does not always get the best jumps on balls, Morgan's wheels allow him to close quickly and make catches like the jaw-dropping over-the-shoulder grab he made while running into the wall in right-center at Houston's Minute Maid Park. While he can be overeager on the bases at times, he's an excellent bunter who uses that skill as a means to get on base. On the downside, he offers little power and his arm is just playable in center field. More important, he's already 27. Nevertheless, Morgan will be the favorite to win Pittsburgh's starting center-field job when spring training begins.
Morgan is older than most junior college products because he spent four years playing junior hockey in Canada before committing to baseball. He signed too late to play in 2002 but made an immediate splash last season, leading the New York-Penn League with 92 hits and the Pirates system with a .343 average. Morgan has outstanding leadoff skills. He has the ability to hit for average and draw a fair amount of walks, and he's also a terrific bunter. All of that enhances his plus-plus speed. He doesn't have much power but Pittsburgh will be satisfied if he gets on base and wreaks havoc afterward. Like many inexperienced hitters, Morgan can be fooled by good breaking pitches and changeups. He needs to learn how to read pitchers' moves after getting caught 17 times in 43 steal attempts last year. Defensively, he's an above-average center fielder who chases down everything in the gaps while also showing a decent arm. The Pirates laud his makeup as well. Because of his age, Morgan has to move quickly. He likely will split this season between the two Class A affiliates.

Minor League Top Prospects

There wasn't a manager who didn't like the raw but talented Morgan, who led the league in hits and finished second in batting and steals. He displayed prototype leadoff skills with 70 speed on the 20-80 scouting scale, superb bunting ability and an eye for drawing walks. He uses a line-drive approach at the plate. He was a standout in center field and even has a solid arm. He was old for the league at 23 because he spent four years in Canada playing hockey before focusing on baseball, but his upside is obvious. "His bunting ability is beyond anybody that I've ever played with or seen," Williamsport manager Andy Stewart said. "He has great bat control with his bunting and that's something that you just can't teach. It's hard to defend and he's just taken it and ran with it." Said Stankiewicz: "Speed is always an asset and he has plenty of that. But what sets him apart is that he seems to know what he wants to do at the plate as far as not trying to do too much or overswing."