Charlie Morton

2017

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2016

Morton’s confounding career continued in 2015. After returning from hip surgery in late May, he won his first five starts, compiling a 1.62 ERA in 33.1 IP. Thereafter he got rung up for a 5.93 ERA in 95.2 IP. He continues to struggle against lefties (.301/.389/.506) and remains inconsistent from start to start. Morton, who will earn $8 million in 2016, could find himself on the trade block if GM Neal Huntington’s patience has finally worn thin. The right-hander figures to rebound a bit after tossing consecutive sub-4.00 ERAs in 2013 and 2014, but given his propensity for injury and inconsistency fantasy owners might want to consider him as little more than a late draft pickup.

2015

Morton will likely miss time at the beginning of 2015 after undergoing hip surgery in late October. The 31-year-old, who has made more than 20 starts in only two of seven big league campaigns, registered a 3.72 ERA (3.72 FIP) and 1.27 WHIP with a 126:57 K:BB ratio in 157.1 innings. He led the NL in hit batters (19) for the second straight season. Morton signed a three-year, $21 million extension prior to 2014, a deal which kicks in starting in 2015. The Pirates will gladly welcome him into the starting rotation, but again, it likely won't be at the start of the year. Morton has won 10 games only once -- he went 6-12 for a team which won 88 games in 2014 -- but should pile up innings once he gets back from his latest injury.

2014

Morton put together a surprisingly consistent 2013 after making his season debut in June. The sinker-balling righty returned from Tommy John Surgery armed with a 92.8 mph average fastball that induced a whopping 62.9 percent groundball rate in 116 innings. He allowed more than three earned runs in three of 20 starts en route to a 3.26 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. Morton benefited from Pittsburgh's defensive shifts as much as any starting pitcher and limited lefties to a .312 BA and .692 OPS. That may not sound like much, but it's an improvement over career marks of .335 BA and .822 OPS. Morton will slot in Pittsburgh's starting rotation looking to pick up where he left off at the end of 2013 after inking a three-year, $21 million extension.

2013

Morton isn't expected back until June or July after undergoing Tommy John surgery in late May. Before getting hurt, he registered a 4.65 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 50.1 innings. When he's on top of his games, the right-hander utilizes a sinking fastball that seemingly coaxes groundballs at will. His 2.20 GB/FB ratio followed up a 3.17 mark in 2011. Left-handed hitters have historically fared well against Morton. They hold an .806 career OPS against him and are typically stacked in lineups when he starts. He engineered his best season with Pittsburgh in 2011, when he put up a 3.86 ERA while striking out a career-high 110. Even then, his WHIP was an ungainly 1.53, thanks to 77 walks. When he comes back, he'll likely slot in as a back-end rotation man, but his lack of strikeouts and risk of injury push him down low on fantasy totem pole.

2012

The 2011 Charlie Morton version didn't pitch like Roy Halladay, but he was a heck of a lot better than the 2010 version (or 2009, for that matter). The righty put up some atrocious numbers numbers in 2010 (7.57 ERA in 79.2 IP), but general manager Neal Huntington showed faith in him and was rewarded. The righty with a repertoire of sinking pitches surprised many with a 3.21 ERA through his first 13 starts. By the time fantasy owners bought into Morton, however, he cooled off with a 4.41 ERA the rest of the way. Morton underwent hip surgery in October to repair a torn labrum and might not be back until May. He doesn't strike out many hitters or make many lefties miss (left-handers hit .364 against him). Draft him as a spot starter and use him against right-handed dominated lineups only.

2011

Pirates GM Neal Huntington and others in management have shown an almost cult-like fostering toward Morton. The team coddled Morton, using Chris Snyder almost exclusively as his catcher over Ryan Doumit -- if only the rest of the staff had been so lucky. Morton earned his 2-12 record, compiling a historically bad 7.57 ERA and 1.732 WHIP in 79.2 innings. Opposing batters hit him at a .332 clip, numbers typically reserved for former Bucco Zach Duke. Regardless, he's still a factor in the Pittsburgh organization. He carries a low-90s fastball and a deuce that breaks off a cliff. The 27-year-old righty needs to trust his fastball, teams sat on his offspeed stuff all too frequently. After splitting time between Triple-A Indianapolis and Pittsburgh last year, Morton enters the 2011 campaign as a long shot to win a rotation spot. With his talent, however, it would be foolish to write him off altogether, as Huntington certainly hasn't.

2010

With 33 combined starts between Atlanta and Pittsburgh, Morton made it through his first full major league season intact in 2009, but it wasn't easy. Inconsistency plagued the right-hander with intriguing stuff. On Aug. 14, Morton surrendered 10 earned runs in just one inning against the Cubs. He returned to Wrigley in late September to throw the first and only shutout of his short major league career. Morton will compete for the No. 4 or 5 spot in the rotation in 2010. At this point in his career, Morton might be used in fantasy leagues based upon matchups, but every-start usage is not recommended.

2009

Morton struggled in his first season in the majors with poor control (41:48 K:BB ratio), but saw improvements in his strikeout rate and control at Triple-A (72:27 K:BB ratio). He threw just 5.2 innings in September due to a back injury, but should be fine for spring training. Despite the improvement at Triple-A, Morton's prior minor league strikeout and control numbers didn't indicate he'd have much success in the majors. He could win a spot in the rotation in spring training, and could surprise if his improvement at Triple-A continues.

2008

Morton enters 2008 with an outside shot at a big league job after Braves management were impressed with his play in the Arizona Fall League, where he went 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA and 20:8 K:BB ratio in 21 innings. His minor league strikeout and control numbers wouldn't seem to indicate he's ready for a promotion all the way from Double-A. However, a rotation spot at Triple-A and a shot at a late-season call up may be in the offing.