Andrew Morales
| IP | 346 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.24 |
| WHIP | 1.434 |
| BB/9 | 3.46 |
| SO/9 | 8.142 |
- Full name Andrew John Morales
- Born 01/16/1993 in Covina, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School UC Irvine
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Drafted in the CB-B round (71st overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2014 (signed for $546,100).
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Morales did not attract any Division I interest out of Covina, Calif.'s South Hills High due to his small stature and lack of wipeout stuff, but he's always been a winner, and his stuff has improved during his senior year this spring. Morales is 40-3 in his four year college career, including two years at Rio Hondo (Calif.) JC and two years as a weekend starter for the Anteaters. Heading into this spring, he worked in the 88-89 range with his fastball, but now he pitches at 89-91 and touches 92 or even 93 now and then. As a 5-foot-11 senior righthander, he lacks upside, but scouts speculated he might be able to generate a bit more velocity in short stints if he moves to a pro bullpen. He's an accomplished strike-thrower despite his unconventional one-piece arm action and high slot, and he has an out-pitch in his solid-average 79-82 slider. He also mixes in a serviceable changeup. Irvine coach Mike Gillespie calls Morales an intense competitor who is very intelligent, and his intangibles make his stuff play up. He looks like a slam dunk to be drafted in the top 10 rounds as a money-saving senior sign, and he has enough talent to potentially sneak into the top five, though the consensus has him in the 8-10 round range.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Morales led UC Irvine to the College World Series in 2014 and went 42-3 in his four seasons in junior college and college ball. A strike-thrower by nature despite a stiff arm action, Morales has gained strength over the course of his career and now holds his 89-91 mph fastball velocity deep into games. He'll touch 93 mph on occasion and has excellent control with a chance for major league average command. He locates his hard 79-82 mph slider as well, and he overmatched college hitters with it, leading NCAA Division I in strikeouts in 2014. He has some deception thanks to his high arm slot, and his serviceable changeup has room for improvement. He lacks projection but not heart, pitching savvy or competitiveness. Morales could be assigned back to high Class A Palm Beach in 2015 after finishing 2014 there.
Draft Prospects
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Morales did not attract any Division I interest out of Covina, Calif.'s South Hills High due to his small stature and lack of wipeout stuff, but he's always been a winner, and his stuff has improved during his senior year this spring. Morales is 40-3 in his four year college career, including two years at Rio Hondo (Calif.) JC and two years as a weekend starter for the Anteaters. Heading into this spring, he worked in the 88-89 range with his fastball, but now he pitches at 89-91 and touches 92 or even 93 now and then. As a 5-foot-11 senior righthander, he lacks upside, but scouts speculated he might be able to generate a bit more velocity in short stints if he moves to a pro bullpen. He's an accomplished strike-thrower despite his unconventional one-piece arm action and high slot, and he has an out-pitch in his solid-average 79-82 slider. He also mixes in a serviceable changeup. Irvine coach Mike Gillespie calls Morales an intense competitor who is very intelligent, and his intangibles make his stuff play up. He looks like a slam dunk to be drafted in the top 10 rounds as a money-saving senior sign, and he has enough talent to potentially sneak into the top five, though the consensus has him in the 8-10 round range.
