This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat publication. To learn the total publication, click on right here. And subscribe to get it commonly in your inbox.
A bit greater than 12 hours earlier than the Braves wanted to make their determination in November, there wasn’t any clear indication about whether or not they had been going to train the membership possibility on Charlie Morton’s contract.
The ever-cool Morton didn’t appear to be too bothered. He by no means even reached out to Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos.
“I didn’t discuss to him till he known as after they exercised the choice,” Morton stated. “I actually had no concept. I didn’t know what was going to occur. At this stage, realistically, there have been solely a pair groups I might have performed for, if I used to be going to play.
“My household and I, we did not actually have any discussions about it. We simply type of went to the offseason, simply enjoyable. I began figuring out and simply preparing, assuming that in the event that they did [exercise the option], I might be prepared. I am excited. I really feel prepared. I really feel like I am in a great spot.”
As of us had been saying their goodbyes after the Braves had been eradicated in Philadelphia final October, the dialog with Morton was a little bit extra sentimental. We first acquired to know him as a member of the 2008 Braves squad, which featured Mark Kotsay as its middle fielder. John Smoltz and Tom Glavine each made begins for that workforce.
It was simple to root for Morton as he spent a lot of the subsequent decade elsewhere, and there was cause to get excited when he rejoined the Braves earlier than the 2021 season. So, yeah, there was cause to surprise if this was the top. Have been the Braves going to train their $20 million possibility? And even when they did, was he leaning towards retirement?
“Cindy and I didn’t even discuss it a complete lot,” Morton stated, referring to his spouse. “I feel she simply assumed they had been going to train the choice and I used to be going to play. The youngsters had been prepared for me to go residence and keep residence. Possibly not our little man, Benjamin, who is basically into baseball. They’ve been a baseball household for a very long time. They get it, and so they assist me.”
Morton, aka “Uncle Charlie,” turned 40 in November. So is sturdiness a difficulty? Nicely, he’s one in every of 11 pitchers to make 30-plus begins every of the previous three seasons. And the 94 begins he has made throughout that span stand as the sport’s sixth-highest whole.
How efficient has he been with this workload? His 3.77 ERA because the begin of 2021 ranks fifth among the many 10 pitchers who’ve at the least 94 begins over the previous three seasons. The one members of this group with a greater ERA are Kevin Gausman, Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery and Dylan Stop.
Yeah, Morton missed final postseason due to the freak finger ligament damage he suffered whereas attempting to spin some curveballs too aggressively. Are older pitchers extra vulnerable to uncommon accidents? After watching Morton produce a 3.64 ERA over 30 begins final 12 months, the Braves had been prepared to provide the likeable veteran one other probability to offer worth each on and off the mound.
“I by no means doubted he was going to return,” fellow beginning pitcher Spencer Strider stated. “So long as he’s respiration, he’s going to maintain enjoying, whether or not he tells you completely different or not. To me, he’s actually the glue within the clubhouse, particularly amongst the pitching workers. Anytime there’s a boring second, we glance as much as Charlie and say, ‘What are we doing?’ He’s one of the best.”
