Brandon Morrow has left the Dodgers for the Cubs.
Let’s rewind to 2008; making his major league debut for the Seattle Mariners, Brandon Morrow, equipped with a 97 mile per hour fastball that hit triple digits and a wipeout slider, threw 7.2 innings of no-hit ball to beat the Yankees 3-1 in his major league debut. Two years later, in 2010, the same right-handed starter, who was drafted fifth overall in the 2006 MLB Draft, right ahead of Andrew Miller, Clayton Kershaw, took the mound on August 8th for the Toronto Blue Jays and made history. In a 137 pitch masterpiece, 97 of which were strikes, Brandon Morrow struck out seventeen Rays hitters, losing a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning off of an Evan Longoria single to second base. By Bill James’ Game Score, which is used to measure the strength of a pitcher in any one particular start, it was one of the thirteen best nine-inning starts of all-time, as one of only 13 starts to receive a game score of 100 or greater. At the time, it was only the fourth start to receive a Game Score of 100 or greater since 1920, making the future all the more bright for Morrow.
After finishing the 2010 season, his first full season as a starter, with a 10-7 record, 4.49 ERA (with a 3.16 FIP, suggesting some bad luck) and 178 strikeouts in 26 starts, many predicted Morrow would be one of the game’s next big hard-throwing aces. These expectations were only added to in 2011, when Morrow struck out 203 batters in 179.1 innings pitched, leading the league with 10.2 K/9. After going 10-7 with a 2.96 ERA and three shutouts in 2012, Morrow was effectively done as a major league starter by the age of 27, never again making more than 10 starts in a season. Here’s what happened.
Health was never quite Morrow’s specialty, as he was already at a disadvantage compared to his peers after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in his senior year of high school, for which he wears an insulin pump to regulate his blood sugar levels. In 2012, Morrow felt a “stinging pain,” in a June 11 start against the Washington Nationals, later being diagnosed with a strained left oblique and bicep tendinitis, which cost him 60 days on the disabled list. Morrow was projected to be the Blue Jays number two starter in 2013; instead, he suffered from radial nerve entrapment in his right forearm, which limited him to ten, largely ineffective starts with a 5.63 ERA. In 2014, Morrow’s injuries included a sprained right index finger and a torn tendon sheath in his right hand, which again limited him to only 13 appearances and six starts, where he pitched to a 5.67 ERA. After the 2014 season, the Blue Jays declined Morrow’s $10 million option, and from there, he signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Padres.
In San Diego, Morrow’s tenure got off to a strong start, as he went 2-0 with a 2.73 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 33.0 innings across five starts. However, Morrow couldn’t avoid the injury bug, as he underwent surgery to remove damaged tissue from his shoulder, ending his season. Finally healthy by the end of 2016, Morrow received a late-season call-up from the Padres and excelled, making 18 appearances, and going 1-0 with 1.69 ERA in 16.0 innings.
Given all the adversity he has faced in his career, it comes as a great pleasure to type out that the Chicago Cubs have signed Morrow, 33, to a two-year contract, with Jon Heyman reporting the deal will be worth $10-11 million per season. At this point, you might be wondering; how did Morrow get here?
Well, it began on January 25, 2017, when Morrow signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers with an invitation to major league spring training. After spending the first two months of the season at AAA Oklahoma City, Morrow was called up to the Dodgers on May 29th, and from there, the results were spectacular. Now a full-time relief pitcher, Morrow became the Dodgers go to set up man in front of Kenley Jansen, pitching in 45 games and going 6-0 with a 2.06 ERA and 0.916 WHIP in 43.2 innings pitched. Morrow’s 10.3 K/9 proved his velocity was back to around what it was in his Toronto days, and he shattered his previous career high with a 5.56 SO/BB ratio. Most incredibly, Morrow did not allow a single home run in the regular season, the only pitcher in baseball to do so while pitching in 40 or more innings.
In the postseason, Morrow made seven appearances between the NLDS and NLCS, allowing only one earned run in 8.1 innings pitched, and striking out eight against one walk. In total, Morrow only allowed four base runners in the first two rounds of the postseason, before making history by becoming only the second pitcher to appear in all seven games of the World Series.
For the Cubs, whose bullpen had a 4.52 ERA and 53 walks in 10 postseason games, Morrow figures to take over for Wade Davis as the team’s closer, although it is possible that the Cubs will pursue another late-inning relief pitcher given Morrow’s success as a multi-inning threat, and minimal experience as a closer. No matter what role he fills in Chicago, Brandon Morrow’s redemption story has officially come full circle, and the Cubs now have another weapon as they look to get back to the World Series for the second time in three seasons.
