Cody Morris

Morris had an excellent run to close the 2021 season, showcasing big stuff and improved strike throwing while appearing nearly ready for big-league rotation work. Unfortunately, he suffered a shoulder strain in camp and didn't begin a rehab assignment until mid-July. Morris was dominant in nine minor-league appearances, logging a 1.69 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 21.1 innings. He got a September call-up and was used a couple times as a traditional starter while working as an opener or traditional reliever in his other five appearances. Morris's 12.0 BB% in the majors was his worst such mark as a pro, and he should see positive regression in that department if he's healthy in 2023. The 26-year-old righty throws a high-spin mid-90s four-seamer and primarily mixes in an upper-80s cutter and low-80s changeup. The changeup has a chance to be a dominant offering (47.6 Whiff%) if he is locating his fastball early in counts. Cleveland has a lot of rotation depth, and Morris won't be able to log a full season's worth of starts in 2023, but he has a high ceiling on a per-start basis and could throw 100-plus innings in the majors in some capacity.

Morris, who turned 25 in November and was added to the Guardians' 40-man roster this offseason, primarily relies on a 94-97 mph four-seamer with excellent movement and location characteristics, an elite changeup that generated an elite Whiff% last season and an 80-mph curveballl that registered a .204 xWOBA. Morris also mixes in a 90-mph cutter that he locates extremely well. This pitch mix allowed the 6-foot-4 righty to log a 1.62 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 93:20 K:BB in 61 innings, primarily at Double-A and Triple-A. His start to the season was delayed by a shoulder injury, but he threw between three and five innings without skipping a start from July 1 on. The rotation is pretty crowded in Cleveland, but Morris is too good to not force his way into the mix sometime this season. He lacks big name value, but from a stuff and results standpoint, he's up there with the best pitching prospects in the game.

Morris has only one season of professional ball under his belt, and he was not among the players chosen to train at Cleveland's alternate site in 2020. However, it wasn't entirely a lost campaign for the right-hander as he was part of the team's fall instructional league roster. Morris registered a 4.35 ERA across 89 innings of A-ball in 2019, though his 3.02 FIP was considerably more promising. He possesses a three-pitch arsenal highlighted by a mid-90s fastball and complemented by a decent slider and changeup. During his 2019 campaign, Morris posted a 11.2 K/9 and registered an impressive 13.8 SwStr% while notching a palatable 2.7 BB/9. He gave up too many hits, however -- opponents batted .271 against him -- suggesting that he still has some command issues to work out. With another year or two of seasoning, Morris could claim a spot in the Cleveland rotation.