| Bryan Morris | |
|---|---|
 Morris with the Miami Marlins | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1987-03-28)March 28, 1987 (age 38) Tullahoma, Tennessee, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 14, 2012, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 22, 2017, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 20–12 |
| Earned run average | 3.13 |
| Strikeouts | 168 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Avery Bryan Morris (born March 28, 1987) is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for thePittsburgh Pirates,Miami Marlins andSan Francisco Giants.
Morris was born in Woodbury, TN. He attendedTullahoma High School andMotlow State Community College.[1]
Morris was drafted by theTampa Bay Devil Rays in the third round of the2005 Major League Baseball Draft, but he did not sign with Devil Rays. He re-entered the draft and was chosen again in the first round, 26th overall, in the2006 Major League Baseball Draft, by theLos Angeles Dodgers. Morris is currently represented by Jim Kuzmich, a sports and entertainment attorney located in Gilbert, Arizona.
In 2006, Morris played for the Dodgers affiliate, theOgden Raptors of thePioneer League He was voted byBaseball America as the top prospect for entire rookie-levelPioneer League.[2] He missed the entire 2007 season recovering fromTommy John surgery. In 2008, Morris played for the DodgersSingle A affiliate, theGreat Lakes Loons of theMidwest League. In July 2008, he was traded to thePittsburgh Pirates, as part of the three team trade that sentJason Bay to theBoston Red Sox andManny Ramirez to the Dodgers.
In July 2008, he was traded to thePittsburgh Pirates, as part of the three team trade that sentJason Bay to theBoston Red Sox andManny Ramirez to the Dodgers. Morris was considered the key prospect the Pirates received in the trade.[3] He was immediately assigned to the Pirates then-single A affiliate, theHickory Crawdads of theSouth Atlantic League. In 2009, Morris was assigned to theLynchburg Hillcats, the Pirates' single A affiliate from 1995 to 2009. While in Lynchburg, he posted a 4–9 record with a 5.57 ERA in 15 starts after spending 58 days on the disabled list with tendonitis in his right shoulder. During the Hillcats first-round playoff game for theCarolina League title, he was the winning pitcher in Game 5 of the best-of-five series againstWilmington Blue Rocks.[4] The Pirates suspended Morris in August 2009 for "unprofessionalism" after arguing umpire calls.[3] Despite the struggles, the Pirates added Morris to the 40 man roster after the 2009 season to protect him from the 2009Rule 5 Draft.[5] In 2010, the Pirates andCincinnati Reds swapped minor league franchises. As a result, the Reds took control of the Hillcats, while the Pirates received Cincinnati'sSarasota Reds. The Pirates then moved Sarasota's operations to nearbyBradenton, where the club was renamed theBradenton Marauders. On April 8, 2010, Morris was theOpening Day starting pitcher for the Marauders in their inaugural game.[6] In eight starts for Bradenton, Morris posted a 3–0 record and a 0.60 ERA, the lowest among starters in all ofminor league baseball. He also limited opposing hitters to a .220 batting average while walking seven and striking out 40 in 442⁄3 innings. On May 16, 2010, Morris became the first Marauder to get promoted, when he was called up to the Pirates Double A affiliate, theAltoona Curve. ThePittsburgh Post-Gazette later reported that Pirates general managerNeal Huntington, stated that Morris had a chance to land with Pittsburgh'sTriple-A affiliate, theIndianapolis Indians, by August "if he can sustain what he's doing."[7] However, he was benched in Altoona by mid-season. After throwing 103 innings, he had shown signs of fatigue. The Pirates management wanted to limit Morris to around 130 innings. Pirates' GM, Neal Huntington stated that "Rather than limit his innings each start ... we felt it was good to take a couple starts off, tweak his delivery and then get him back out there."[8] Huntington also added that he expects Morris to pitch again in 2010. Morris had a largely successful year in 2010. He stayed healthy for the entire season and threw for a career-high 1332⁄3 innings. In an interview withMLB.com, Morris stated that he talks to other pitchers for valuable tips on throwing, like most other young pitchers do, however he also talks a lot with catchers for their perspective on how they attack hitters.[9] Morris attended the Pirates spring training camp in 2011, however he was reassigned to the Curve. He was ranked #6 on theBaseball America Pirates Top 10 Prospects list going into the 2011 season.[10] However, Morris struggled as a starting pitcher with Altoona and was converted to relief.[11] Morris became a dominating reliever, although he spent the entire 2011 season in Double-A, which, combined with his move to the bullpen, made his 2011 season very disappointing.
Morris began the 2012 season in the bullpen of the Triple-AIndianapolis Indians. He was recalled to thePittsburgh Pirates for the first time on June 24, 2012.[12] However, Morris did not have the opportunity to make his Major League debut, as he was optioned back to Indianapolis on June 25, 2012.[13] He was recalled by the Pirates on September 10, 2012.[14] On September 14, 2012, he made his major league debut, pitching a scoreless inning against theChicago Cubs.
Morris was recalled by the Pirates on May 28, 2013 whenJosé Contreras was placed on the disabled list.[15] On June 20, 2013, Morris got his first career base hit offCincinnati Reds pitcherAlfredo Simón.
On June 1, 2014, Morris was traded to theMiami Marlins in exchange for the 39th overall pick in the Supplemental2014 MLB Draft.[16] He was designated for assignment on September 20, 2016, he cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-ANew Orleans Zephyrs on September 22. He elected free agency after the season on October 3.
On December 13, 2016, Morris signed a minor league contract with theSan Francisco Giants. He had his contract purchased on April 30, 2017. Morris pitched to a 6.43 ERA in 21 innings for the Giants. He was designated for assignment on June 23. He elected free agency on June 27.
On July 29, 2017, Morris agreed to be the pitching coach atTullahoma High School for the baseball team, the same school that he graduated from in 2005.[17][18]
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