Will Brandon Morrow Pull a Griffey?
It was the spring of 1989, and Ken Griffey Jr., a 19-year-old with 61 at bats above A-ball, embarrassed Cactus League pitchers and made the Mariners.
It is the spring of 2007, and Brandon Morrow, a 22-year-old who's thrown 16 innings professionally, is embarrassing Cactus League hitters and forcing himself into the M's bullpen mix.
Morrow, the M's first round pick (5th overall) in last June's draft, has thrown 6.1 scoreless innings in four appearances this spring. He's struck out 8. Yesterday, on the pre-game show--before Morrow's latest scoreless outing--Dave Niehaus put the question to M's pitching coach Rafael Chavez: "Is there any chance that Morrow could make the team?"
"Morrow is competing for a spot," Chavez responded.
For now, Morrow's appearing late in games, and facing mostly minor leaguers. But it seems the M's intend to keep him around until he starts getting hit. MLB.com has more on Morrow. Here's a an interview Morrow did last year that's sure to discomfit paranoiacs--he divulges that his favorite team is the Oakland A's.
In other young buck news, former UW star Tim Lincecum, the 10th overall pick in the 2006 draft, won't make the Giants out of spring camp. But, says pitching coach Dave Righetti, ""He's going to pitch in the big leagues."
