Charlie Morton

40-Year-Old PitcherSP

Atlanta Braves

2024 Stats

W-L

5-5

ERA

3.92

WHIP

1.22

101

Rest-of-Season Projections

W-L

ERA

WHIP

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2024 Fantasy Outlook

Morton continued to fend off Father Time by starting 30 games. He's started at least that many every season since 2018, excluding the truncated 2020 campaign. Morton's control showed signs of age as he posted an 11.6 percent walk rate, the highest since his rookie season. His 25.6 percent strikeout rate dropped a couple of ticks, but it was still within range of the previous few seasons. Morton's elevated walk rate resulted in his highest WHIP since 2012, but Lady Luck was on his side with a low 9.4 percent home run per fly ball rate and a 77.6 percent left on base mark, keeping his ERA in check, albeit at least half a run below the associated estimators. Morton's didn't lose any velocity, but it's still fair to be worried about his spike in control. Atlanta isn't concerned as they picked up Morton's $20 million team option for his 40-year-old season. Hoping for one more productive season is defensible, but Morton should be considered a luxury item, and not counted on as a staff staple. Read Past Outlooks

RANKS

Rest of Season

Overall Projection

Overall Rank

From Preseason

#227

ADP

League Majors

Bats R

Throws R

40 Man Yes

Height 6'5"

Weight 215

DOB 11/12/1983

Born Flemington, NJ

College None

Drafted 3rd Rd 2002 ATL

Collects quality start Saturday

PAtlanta Braves

July 21, 2024

Morton came away with a no-decision in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals, allowing one run on six hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out four.

ANALYSIS
The matinee of the twin bill saw a pitchers' duel between two veteran right-handers, as both Morton and Kyle Gibson recorded one-run quality starts in an eventual 3-2 extra-inning win for Atlanta. Morton's quality start was his eighth of the year, but the 40-year-old isn't racking up the Ks like he used to -- he's fanned five batters or less in four of his last five starts, managing a 3.94 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 25:9 K:BB over 29.2 innings during that stretch. He lines up to make his next trip to the mound on the road next week against the Mets.

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Pitching Stats

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2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2024 MLB Game Log

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2023 MLB Game Log

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2022 MLB Game Log

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2021 MLB Game Log

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2020 MLB Game Log

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2019 MLB Game Log

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2018 MLB Game Log

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Minor League Game Log

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Pitching Appearances Breakdown

Average Pitch Count

Last 10 Games

Last 5 Games

How many pitches does Charlie Morton generally throw?

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

81-90

91-100

101-110

111-120

121+

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

81-90

91-100

101-110

111-120

121+

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

81-90

91-100

101-110

111-120

121+

What part of the game does Charlie Morton generally pitch?

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

Extra

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

Extra

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

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9th

Extra

% Games Reaching Innings Threshold

% Games By Number of Innings Pitched

Left/Right Pitching Splits

Since 2022

-7%

BAA vs LHP

2024

-12%

BAA vs LHP

2023

-8%

BAA vs LHP

2022

-3%

BAA vs LHP

	BAA	Batters	K	BB	H	2B	3B	HR
Since 2022vs Left	.228	962	260	107	185	35	3	31
Since 2022vs Right	.246	909	229	78	201	46	3	22
2024vs Left	.220	247	61	27	45	12	0	5
2024vs Right	.250	180	40	12	42	13	1	6
2023vs Left	.234	351	100	47	68	12	1	8
2023vs Right	.253	365	83	36	82	18	2	6
2022vs Left	.229	364	99	33	72	11	2	18
2022vs Right	.236	364	106	30	77	15	0	10
More Splits→	View More Split Stats

Home/Away Pitching Splits

Since 2022

-32%

ERA at Home

2024

-22%

ERA at Home

2023

-19%

ERA at Home

2022

-47%

ERA at Home

	ERA	WHIP	IP	W	L	SV	K/9	BB/9	HR/9
Since 2022Home	3.22	1.18	221.0	16	9	0	10.8	3.4	1.1
Since 2022Away	4.75	1.43	217.2	12	14	0	9.3	4.2	1.0
2024Home	3.47	1.26	57.0	3	3	0	8.7	3.8	0.8
2024Away	4.47	1.17	46.1	2	2	0	8.9	2.9	1.2
2023Home	3.23	1.22	75.1	7	5	0	10.9	3.6	1.3
2023Away	3.99	1.60	88.0	7	7	0	9.4	5.4	0.3
2022Home	3.05	1.08	88.2	6	1	0	12.1	3.0	1.2
2022Away	5.72	1.39	83.1	3	5	0	9.3	3.6	1.7
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Stat Review

How does Charlie Morton compare to other starting pitchers?

This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.

K/BB

2.59

K/9

8.8

BB/9

3.4

HR/9

1.0

Fastball

93.8 mph

ERA

3.92

WHIP

1.22

BABIP

.285

GB/FB

1.75

Left On Base

69.6%

Exit Velocity

80.5 mph

Barrels/BBE

5.4%

Spin Rate

2533 rpm

Balls Hit 95+ MPH

23.5%

Swinging Strike

11.4%

Advanced Pitching Stats

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Defensive Stats

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Stats Vs Today's Lineup

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

This could be Morton's ride into the baseball sunset as he enters his age-39 season. Atlanta holds a team option for 2024 at $20 million. After helping the club get to and win a championship in 2021, Morton returned from the fractured fibula he suffered in the World Series to go 9-6 with a 4.34 ERA across 172 innings spanning 31 starts last season. For the second consecutive year, Morton was knocked out of the postseason by a comebacker, this time to the elbow although this one didn't do nearly as much damage. He can still drop his excellent curveball in for strikeouts -- he finished 10th in baseball with 205 punchouts last season -- but everything else in his repertoire is rather hittable at this stage. The walks ticked up last year (8.7 BB%) as he nibbled more. Morton has a great defensive outfield behind him and a lot of offense to support him so while there is some age-related decline showing, he can still do a lot of good for a fantasy team.

Morton left Game 1 of the World Series against Houston in the third inning, though not before striking out Jose Altuve on a broken freakin' leg. He had been hit by a comebacker and was forced to undergo surgery to repair a fractured fibula days later. The expectation is that Morton will be ready for the start of spring training. His 2021 regular season was tremendous, especially for a 37-year-old; Morton racked up 14 wins with a 20.9 K-BB% and 1.04 WHIP over 185.2 innings. He's not the extreme groundball pitcher he was earlier in his career, but the heavier reliance on his high-spin curveball in recent years has proven to be a winning recipe. Notably, Morton regained some steam on his fastball last year, and Atlanta brought him back at a $20 million price tag for 2022 -- a statement of faith in the aging arm. Assuming his health checks out in spring training, target Morton as a high-end SP3.

The Rays declined Morton's $15 million option for 2021, but the Braves were happy to meet that price for the right-hander's services. Morton's peripherals indicate that he still has life in his arm even though he finished 4.74 ERA across 38 innings in 2020. Notably, he surrendered fewer than 1.0 HR/9 for the 10th consecutive season and maintained an 18.8 K-BB%. A dip in velocity plagued Morton early in the season and skewed his average to 93.8 mph, his lowest mark since 2015. However, after Morton returned from a shoulder injury that cost him nearly a month of the regular season, he rebounded to post average velocities of 94.7, 95, 94.9 and 94.4 mph in four playoff contests. Entering his age-37 season, there is clear risk in drafting Morton due to his recent injury history and age. Morton's underlying skills suggest he has the talent to continue to produce at a high level, albeit not at an ace level.

Since 2017, Morton has outpitched his peripherals, and he was doing so again to begin his first year with the Rays. However, he fought off regression by ratcheting up his skills. On May 19, Morton's ERA was 2.65 compared to a 3.74 xFIP and 4.07 SIERA. The rest of the way, his ERA rose to 3.21, but his xFIP was 3.11 with a 3.36 SIERA. There was some ERA regression, but a 1% increase in K% coupled with a 5.4% drop in BB% softened the blow. Integral to his success was allowing a scant 15 homers in 194.2 innings. Morton's bread and butter is one of the highest spinning curves in the league, helping to compensate for a fastball losing a tick or two. Skills-wise, there's no concern. However, Morton will be 36 years old, with a checkered injury history, coming off a campaign where he set personal bests in innings and starts. Ace level pitching is rare, so Morton will cost. That said, caveat emptor.

The Houston rebuild of Charlie Morton is complete. Two seasons, 29 wins, a 3.50 ERA and a dramatic increase in strikeout rate. "Ground Chuck" did not generate as many groundballs as he did with Pittsburgh, but he still gets his fair share of them when he is not missing bats. The 167 innings of work in 2018 represented his highest single-season total since 2011 and it marked the first time he hit the 30-start plateau in his career. His fastball and curve were both well above average pitches in 2018, but it is his curveball that has consistently graded out well throughout his career. Pitching in Minute Maid did not impact his home park splits, so keep that in mind as Morton heads to Tampa Bay on a two-year deal. When Morton has been on the mound the past two seasons, the results have been solid more often than not. He has the skills of a front-half starter, but lacks the durability of one.

Talk about a career rejuvenation. Morton was labeled a "priority signing" by Houston last offseason after showing surprising fastball velocity gains (to go with wicked curveball spin) in a small sample with Philadelphia in 2016. As it turned out, those gains were no fluke, as Morton gave the Astros nearly 150 quality innings during the regular season and then played a crucial role in the postseason, even earning the win in Game 7 of the World Series. What was once Morton's biggest weakness -- getting lefty batters out -- turned into one of his greatest strengths, with Morton posting the second-lowest wOBA against lefties by a righty starter, per FanGraphs. He's given something back in the groundball department, but the added strikeouts (10.0 K/9) more than make up for it. It's unwise to expect him to add to his 2017 workload, but this new version of Morton can make a fantasy impact even with limited innings. Plus, the era of the workhorse starter is over anyway.

Morton made just four starts before suffering a left hamstring tear that required season-ending surgery. Before he went down, there were some positive signs in his profile that make him an interesting endgame speculation this season. He was averaging 94.3 mph with his fastball, more than two miles per hour faster than he averaged in 2015 and easily the best velocity of his career. His K/9 increased along with his velocity and his swinging strike rate was at 13 percent after averaging eight percent in his prior seasons. He was also maintaining the excellent GB/FB ratio that he had displayed throughout most of his career. Morton quickly signed with the Astros soon after free agency began and is expected to be ready for the start of the 2017 season, if not spring action. He's sure to be overlooked in most leagues, thanks to the shift to the American League and his limited amount of work last season.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

More Fantasy News

Allows two homers in no-decision

PAtlanta Braves

July 11, 2024

Morton did not factor into the decision in a loss to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, allowing four runs on five hits over 6.1 innings while striking out five.