Sep 7, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Catchers mask and glove sits in dugout before the game between the Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 7, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Catchers mask and glove sits in dugout before the game between the Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
Morales was drafted by the Braves in the 25th round of the 2015 draft out of Miami-Dade College, a school that the Braves have frequented for picks over the years. Morales was a young draftee, just 20 in spite of being a college draftee.
The Braves assigned him to the GCL, and Morales showed that he was going to be a tremendous steal in the 25th round, hitting .304/.377/.511 with 7 doubles and 7 home runs in 152 plate appearances with a 14/14 BB/K ratio.
Morales was moved to Rome in the Southern Atlantic League this season, and he’s had his ups and downs. He’s currently hitting .254/.304/.349 with 11 doubles and 3 home runs in 231 plate appearances with a 16/29 BB/K ratio.
Morales is listed at 5’11 and 180 pounds. I’d say he’s probably closer to an even 200, but he’s drastically changed the composition of that body this year, and it’s shown on the field. Last year, he definitely had some cushion around the middle, but this year, he’s much more trim and toned. He’s a right-handed batter and thrower.
Hitting
Morales has a smooth swing with a very contact-oriented swing. When he’s going well, he has good balance throughout the swing, allowing him to generate excellent power on the ball. He’s also done very well in “clutch” situations working to shorten his swing and poke the ball to where the defense leaves an opening.
Morales when he’s not going well is almost entirely due to balance. Morales seems to get eager to get out of a slump and gets too far forward in his swing, losing any power to his swing and dragging the bat behind through the zone without any power to the contact he makes. He tends to get into streaks on both ends.
Base Running/Fielding
Morales is a much better athlete than one would assume due to him being a catcher, and he’s not afraid to take off on the bases. He’s never going to be a 20 steal guy or anything, but he’s not going to hurt the teams.
The big curiosity on Morales is whether or not he’ll be able to handle playing behind the plate. Morales is not an elite defender by any means, but he does do a number of things well. For instance, Morales sets a great target for pitchers and gets a number of calls each game due to his solid, wide target.
Morales has a great arm in the run game, but his foot work leaves a lot to be desired. He also has a less-than-ideal ability to move laterally behind the plate. He does drop down quickly, though, when a pitch is in the dirt, so his blocking is excellent.
Morales has a bat most certainly that could be very, very good going forward. I’m curious how the team will develop him, especially as they add in 2016 draftee Brett Cumberland into the system, another less than stellar defensive catcher with a solid bat.
Morales made big strides in his conditioning in the offseason, and he’s shown well from those I’ve talked with that saw him last year and this year. They state that he’s moving better to his sides, but he’s still not great in lateral movement by any means, so the team may be faced with a decision in a year or two on moving him to another position.
Morales has been mired in a slump recently, but I would say he’s a guy who’s a .270 hitter with solid power and good pitch recognition when he’s going well. He reminds me a lot of a young Javy Lopez, but it would be nice to see him to dip into that power.
