Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40 

Morris starred for three years at Colorado Mesa, helping the Mavericks reach the NCAA Division II championship game as a 17-year-old freshman in 2019 and becoming the school's best pitching prospect since Sergio Romo in 2005. Rather than seek pro opportunities after a dominant junior season a year ago, he opted to transfer to Texas Tech. He fared well with the Red Raiders as part of an all-prospect rotation that could find him, Brandon Birdsell and Chase Hampton all selected in the first six or so rounds. 

Morris employs an over-the-top delivery that creates unusual angle with his fastball, which sits at 91-94 mph and tops out at 96 with some riding action. His best offering is a solid low-80s slider with more depth than horizontal movement, and he also works in a mid-70s downer curveball. His mid-80s changeup is too firm but features some fade. 

Though his unusual mechanics also include huge shoulder tilt, they add to Morris' deception without compromising his ability to throw strikes. He'll probably need to refine his command to succeed as a starter in pro ball because he can't overpower hitters and gets into trouble when he catches too much of the plate. While his floor stands out more than his ceiling, he does a nice job of pitching off his fastball and has a reliable breaking ball. 

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 55 | Overall: 50

Morris pitched for three years at Division II Colorado Mesa, helping them reach the championship game as a freshman. Rather than consider pro options as one of the better D2 pitchers, he went on to Texas Tech to form a prospect-laden rotation with Chase Hampton and Brandon Birdsell, now ranked prospects with the Yankees and Cubs. Morris went in the fourth round of the 2022 Draft and signed for $500,000. He pitched his way from Single-A to High-A in his first full season and turned in a terrific start during Cedar Rapids’ run to the Midwest League championship.

With an over-the-top delivery, Morris has a unique angle with his fastball, which he cranked up to 97 mph with riding life. He’s improved and firmed up his slider and it’s now a bat-misser that’s up into the upper-80s with depth. His curve, now in the upper-70s, has good downer movement and while his changeup is too firm at times, it can be effective with good fade.

Between his unusual release and a shoulder tilt, there’s plenty of deception in Morris’ delivery, allowing his stuff to play up. He’s continued to be a solid strike-thrower, something he had taken a nice step forward with in his third year at Mesa. He hasn’t racked up as many strikeouts as one might think given his stuff, though there might be more in the tank to come, and his K’s could uptick as well as he works on pitch usage.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 55 | Overall: 40

After spending three years at Division II power Colorado Mesa and helping the Mavericks reach the championship game as a 17-year-old freshman in 2019, Morris moved on to Texas Tech for one more year of college, this time in Division I. He pitched well in a terrific Red Raiders rotation in 2022, helping him land in the fourth round of that year’s Draft to the Twins, who gave him $500,000 to sign. He turned in a solid first full season across two levels of A ball while not turning 22 until the very end of the season.

Morris’ unusual over-the-top delivery creates a unique angle with his fastball, which typically sits in the low 90s and tops out at 96 mph with riding action, allowing it to play up. His best secondary pitch is his slider, a low-80s breaker that features more depth than horizontal movement. He mixes in a mid-70s downer curve and a fading mid-80s changeup that can be effective at times, but is also too firm.

Since entering pro ball, Morris has refined his command, keeping his walk rate below 5.5 percent at both levels in 2023. That, to go along with the deception that comes with a big shoulder tilt and that over-the-top release, has allowed him to miss a good amount of bats despite lacking overpowering stuff. It’s floor over ceiling here, but it’s looking like he could develop into a solid back-end starter if he keeps trending in this direction.

Awards

MID Pitcher of the Week

Week	Team
05/19/2024

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/13/2024	RHP Andrew Morris assigned to St. Paul Saints from Wichita Wind Surge.
	05/21/2024	RHP Andrew Morris assigned to Wichita Wind Surge from Cedar Rapids Kernels.
	05/21/2024	Wichita Wind Surge activated RHP Andrew Morris.
	07/24/2023	RHP Andrew Morris assigned to Cedar Rapids Kernels from Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.
	07/24/2023	Cedar Rapids Kernels activated RHP Andrew Morris.
	04/13/2023	Fort Myers Mighty Mussels placed RHP Andrew Morris on the 7-day injured list. Right bicep tendinitis.
	09/13/2022	RHP Andrew Morris assigned to Fort Myers Mighty Mussels from FCL Twins.
	09/13/2022	Fort Myers Mighty Mussels activated RHP Andrew Morris.
	08/11/2022	RHP Andrew Morris assigned to FCL Twins.
	07/26/2022	Minnesota Twins signed RHP Andrew Morris.
	06/11/2022	College Workout activated RHP Andrew Morris.
	06/11/2022	RHP Andrew Morris assigned to College Workout.
	02/08/2022	RHP Andrew Morris assigned to Texas Tech Red Raiders.
	02/08/2022	Texas Tech Red Raiders activated RHP Andrew Morris.