The Atlanta Braves decided to part ways with right-hander Charlie Morton this offseason, which caused fans to react with mixed emotions. He was a great part of Atlanta's rotation over the last few years, and it makes sense why fans would want him back.
Morton tossed 686.1 innings for the Braves from 2021 to 2024 with a 3.87 ERA, 269 walks, and 771 strikeouts. Those are impressive numbers for a pitcher at the end of his career. However, his inconsistency in 2024 gave Atlanta pause about adding the 41-year-old to their 2025 roster.
Charlie Morton's struggles prove the Braves were right to move on
The Orioles decided to give Uncle Charlie a shot with a one-year, $15 million contract. It has not gone the way they'd hoped it would. Morton is having a really rough season and has yet to win a game for Baltimore.
He's 0-7 on the season with a shocking 9.38 ERA through 31.2 innings pitched. The former Brave leads MLB with the most earned runs allowed (33) and leads the AL with the most walks issued (22). Yes, he is older, but it's still strange to see him struggle so badly.
A deeper look into Morton's metrics show exactly why he is having such poor results.
Charlie Morton is having a really bad year. Yeah, I know, he's 41, and that probably explains most of it. But I went to Statcast to see what exactly changed.
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) May 8, 2025
His curveball, once in the 100th percentile (great) is now in the 1st percentile (terrible).
It's all pretty bad. pic.twitter.com/POQRSVfUNN
Morton is known for having a great curveball with a high spin rate. That pitch has betrayed him this season, and it's caused his groundball rate to drop into one of the worst in baseball. For example, last season, he finished with a 47.2% groundball rate, which was in the 75th percentile. In 2025, it has dropped to the 39th percentile, and his breaking run value is at a putrid -7 (it was at a 2 last season).
Opponents are batting .357 against the curveball with a .667 slugging percentage. Ironically, teams are only batting .171 against his fastball that averages 93.8 mph, but his secondary pitches are getting destroyed.
It's hard to see Morton struggle this badly as he's a great teammate and human being. However, it seems like Father Time may have finally caught up with him.