My first day back on the job. Did a little Radio and a little television, and a lot of baking in the sun in a black suit.
Important thing to take away from Morrow’s outing: It wasn’t that bad. Actually, it was great. He made it to the big leagues as a power arm. He’s used to pitching like a power arm. But he’s learning to pitch more like a true pitcher, mixing in contact and letting his fielders work for him. Cutting down walks, increasing ground ball rates. A few less K’s per 9 but nothing to get worried about considering the gain. He could be on the cusp of really figuring himself out. But, to do that, he has to back off his desire to go full speed ahead. He needs to control his body. He’s working on that and he’s aware that it can be messy, like it was today. But, this is the place to make a mess if you’re going to do it.
What I saw today in Morrow’s one inning of work was a little to much throttling back. He didn’t seem explosive to the plate. Not wild, or max effort, or even at game speed. More like he was trying to let his body cast the ball to the glove, guide it in a smooth stroke, see how little he had to put into it to get the job done. It can be very valuable to know the minimum amount effort needed to win, but dialing it too far back leaves you exposed. He’s calibrating, and Prince Fielder’s homer is meaningless beyond being quality feedback in the calibration process.
