Joey Morgan
| AB | 551 |
|---|---|
| AVG | .211 |
| OBP | .302 |
| SLG | .283 |
| HR | 6 |
- Full name Joseph Tyler Morgan
- Born 08/26/1996 in Santa Cruz, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Washington
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Drafted in the 3rd round (95th overall) by the Detroit Tigers in 2017 (signed for $564,000).
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Morgan was headed to Oregon but was released from his commitment and instead wound up walking on at Washington, where he's thrived. He was starting as a freshman for much of the 2015 season when Austin Rei was hurt; Rei returned and played his way into being the Red Sox' third-round pick that June. Morgan could go as high or higher in 2017. While Morgan merely tried to hold his own as a freshman, he's developed into Washington's top hitter as a junior, a veteran on a young team that's struggling to earn a regional bid. Now a sturdy 6-foot, 205 pounds, he has performed well in front of crosscheckers offensively even though he's the Huskies' top offensive threat and often gets pitched around. His power is mostly to the gaps but he takes what pitchers give him, uses the right-center field gap and has a solid offensive approach. He'll need to gain strength both for defensive durability and to give his offensive game more pop, as scouts aren't confident that he has a high offensive ceiling. He's one of the nation's better catch-and-throw backstops, with consistent above-average 1.95-second pop times to second base, and he's nabbed 10 of 20 opposing basestealers so far this season. Morgan has quick feet, solid-average arm strength and the agility to block and receive well with more polish.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Morgan was a solid defensive catcher in his first two years at Washington, but he took a big step forward offensively in his junior season, making him a much more well-rounded prospect. But Morgan showed in his pro debut that there still are a lot of questions about his offensive ceiling. Right now he's a singles hitter who will have to make adjustments and use his legs more to eventually get to his 10-12 home run potential. He looked tired in his pro debut, and he made little impact at the plate. Defensively, he has work to do. He has a plus arm, but he has to improve his footwork. He moves and blocks well, but he also has to work on his game-calling. Morgan needs to get stronger, and there's some hope that he will, but because of that, he looks like a potential solid backup rather than a regular.
Draft Prospects
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Morgan was headed to Oregon but was released from his commitment and instead wound up walking on at Washington, where he's thrived. He was starting as a freshman for much of the 2015 season when Austin Rei was hurt; Rei returned and played his way into being the Red Sox' third-round pick that June. Morgan could go as high or higher in 2017. While Morgan merely tried to hold his own as a freshman, he's developed into Washington's top hitter as a junior, a veteran on a young team that's struggling to earn a regional bid. Now a sturdy 6-foot, 205 pounds, he has performed well in front of crosscheckers offensively even though he's the Huskies' top offensive threat and often gets pitched around. His power is mostly to the gaps but he takes what pitchers give him, uses the right-center field gap and has a solid offensive approach. He'll need to gain strength both for defensive durability and to give his offensive game more pop, as scouts aren't confident that he has a high offensive ceiling. He's one of the nation's better catch-and-throw backstops, with consistent above-average 1.95-second pop times to second base, and he's nabbed 10 of 20 opposing basestealers so far this season. Morgan has quick feet, solid-average arm strength and the agility to block and receive well with more polish.
