Braves Still Searching For The Right Pieces
The Atlanta Braves announced a few roster moves on Friday morning as they DFA’d Thursday nights starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez and they optioned relief pitcher Brandon Cunniff.  The retrospective moves were calling up relief pitchers Jason Hursh and Akeel Morris to Atlanta.
Hursh was selected by the Braves in the 1st round, 31st overall, in the 2013 MLB Draft out of Oklahoma State University. Â The 24-year-old was selected out of high school in the 6th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010.
We’ve been waiting on this 6’3″, 200 pound righty for quit some time.  Once the Braves drafted him he shot up the Braves top prospect list, but has recently slipped quit a bit.  See our most recent prospect list to find out where we’ve slotted Hursh.
Hursh attended Trinity Christian Academy High School in Texas and lettered his sophomore, junior and senior years.  He was named Team MVP, district MVP and first-team all-state as a senior with a 11-2, a 2.47 ERA and had 123 strikeouts in 70 innings.
More from Tomahawk Take
- Braves News: Braves re-sign Stephens, Will Atlanta extend Max Fried?, more
- Notable Atlanta Braves Reunions Since 2003: Pitcher Edition
- Braves News: Braves re-sign Jackson Stephens
- Braves News: Braves prospect rankings, Correa deal with Mets at risk, more
- Why the Atlanta Braves won’t extend Max Fried
After high school, he accept a scholarship to the Oklahoma State Cowboys.  In his freshman season, he appeared in 10 games and made four starts for the Cowboys.  After his freshman year, he went to play summer ball in California and was pitching when he felt something wrong with his arm.  After going to the doctors, Hursh received the news that he would need Tommy John surgery.  In August 2011, he had the surgery.
After missing a year and a half because of the surgery, Hursh returned to Oklahoma State in 2013 and quickly became their top pitcher. Â He hit 98mph after the surgery while staying between 93-95 with his fastball.
Once the Braves drafted him in 2013, they gave him the keys to be a starting pitcher.  He was a starting pitcher for the 2013 and 2014 season for Rome and Mississippi.  He pitched all right, but it didn’t seem like he was going anywhere in a starting spot.  The Braves moved him to the bullpen and he’s done nothing but excel.
Between Mississippi and Gwinnett in 2016, he has a 1.83 ERA with 45 strikeouts and 23 walks.  He hasn’t allowed a run since June 17 and that’s a total of 27.1 innings pitched.
This is a guy with MLB stuff and we should be very excited about his opportunity to wear the Atlanta Braves uniform.
One Mor-ris, Please – Akeel Morris
Braves also call up Akeel Morris from Double-A Mississippi.  Don’t recognize this name yet?  The Braves traded for him on June 8, 2016 from the New York Mets in exchange for Kelly Johnson.  Some weren’t too happy about this move, but the nay-sayers are probably quiet now.
Morris has great stuff and could be a staple in the Braves bullpen for a long time.  This isn’t just a call-up to see how he does, he could stay!
The 23-year-old made an appearance with the New York Mets in 2015, but it was a forgettable one.  He lasted only 0.2 innings, giving up three hits, three walks and five runs.  We’ll credit that to being nervous.
The Mets selected Morris out of high school in 2010 in the 10th round.  He’s never pitched at the Triple-A level, but has been sensational at the Double-A level.
For the Mississippi Braves in 2016, he’s appeared in 18 games since being traded.  He has a 2.78 ERA with 30 strikeouts and 17 walks.
Next: TomahawkTake's Top Prospects - Honorable Mentions
Both of these relief pitchers are something to look out for and to be excited about. Â They both with wear the Braves uniform tonight in Washington as the Braves take on the Nationals. Â Mike Foltynewicz is on the mound for the Braves and the Nats will send Stephen Strasburg to the bump. Â Game starts at 7:05pm ET.