Curveballs: Joey Morgan Handles Them Like A Pro On And Off The Field
May 25, 2017 | Baseball
Spurned by his home-state school, Joey Morgan has become one of the nation's top collegiate catchers at Washington
By Mark Moschetti
For Dawgs Digest
Crouched behind the plate, Joey Morgan doesn't hesitate to call for a curveball when needed.
That the 20-year-old junior is calling those pitches for the University of Washington is the result of his dealing with a real-life curveball.
Because he did, it is the Huskies who are benefiting from the services of one of the most talented college catchers in the country – a player who ultimately might wind up going higher in June's Major League Baseball draft than any other in UW history.
"I have zero doubt that he can catch in the big leagues someday," says Tanner Swanson, a Washington assistant coach who works with the team's catchers. "The ceiling for him is through the roof. He has all the tools and all the ability."
The irony of it all – a delicious irony for Husky fans – is that Morgan hadn't planned to play in purple and gold. He was going to wear the green of Pac-12 rival Oregon, just 95 miles west of his hometown of Sisters.
But with the calendar quickly flipping toward time to report in the fall of 2014, Morgan b3ecame the odd man out in Eugene.
"They had more catchers than they thought. I think they over-recruited a little bit," he says.
Just like that, Morgan was a catcher without a home plate.
"At the time, I thought, 'Well, I guess I'm going to have to go to a junior college and hopefully work my way back up to that level and maybe someday get that opportunity again," he says.
"Someday" didn't even take a week. Almost immediately, Morgan got a call from Washington assistant Donegal Fergus, letting him know that a last-second roster spot had just opened. Would he be interested?
"It just happened to work out. I was actually the last guy on the roster," Morgan says. "My first time on campus was a little less than a month before I had to report."
Curveballs aside, Morgan had a learning curve to conquer once he arrived at Montlake.
"Defensively, I felt I had success right away. Offensively, it took a little while," he says. "It always does for someone coming from a smaller high school to the Pac-12. Its' a tough transition.
As would be expected, he was making that transition as a reserve. The No. 1 catcher on UW's roster was talented junior Austin Rei. He had earned a place on the All-Pac-12 team and the All-Pac-12 Defensive team as a sophomore in 2014.
But, just five games into 2015, Rei went down with a hand injury. That made Morgan the man behind the mask.
"You're the backup to a guy who ende3d up being a third-round draft pick and is a really good player," Morgan says. "But at the same time, you have to prepare as if you're the starter, especially at the catcher's position. You can go down at any given moment – it's a high-injury position.
"But I wasn't rattled by it."
Morgan made his mark, throwing out 17 of 32 runners attempting to steal – one of just two regular catchers in the Pac-12 to throw out more than he allowed. He also had seven multiple-hit games and fashioned a seven-game hitting streak.
"I knew Joe wouldn't hurt us – he would at least be serviceable," Swanson recalls. "What we all learned was that he was way beyond serviceable – he was good. He makes every play, and he's as consistent a player as I've been around from a defensive standpoint."
Rei returned for the final month of that 2015 season. Just two weeks later, he was chosen by the Boston Red Sox in the third round of the MLB amateur draft. (He is beginning the 2017 with the Salem [N.C.] of the high-Class A Carolina League.)
That opened the door for Morgan to become the No. 1 catcher in 2016. He played in all 56 games, starting 50, and earned a place on the watch list for the Johnny Bench Award, which goes to the country's top collegiate catcher.
In 2016, Morgan threw out nine of the 36 runners who attempted to steal on him, hit .263 with a team-leading 12 doubles and 11 multi-hit games, and reached base in 43 of his 50 starts.
"On the offensive side, things just started clicking for me," Morgan says. "I just kept trying to improve, mature a little bit, take a better approach at the plate, and keep getting stronger."
Entering the final weekend of 2017, Morgan is better than ever. He has thwarted 11 of 24 steal attempts and is batting .312 with 14 doubles and a team-high 38 RBI. This year he topped last year by being named one of 15 semifinalists for the Johnny Bench Award. He also is currently rated as the No. 1 collegiate catcher by D1Baseball.com.
Junior Noah Bremer, one of the veterans on this spring's young pitching staff, is especially appreciative of the poise Morgan brings to every game.
"You see it a lot when he takes trips to the mound to calm guys down," Bremer says. "For me, it gives me the opportunity to really focus on my pitch and not worry about holding runners on as much."
Inevitably, talk turns to this year's draft, set for June 12. Will Morgan surpass Time Lincecum (10th overall in 2006) as the highest-ever Husky selection?
He's not ready to find out quite yet.
"It's obviously hard not to think about it," Morgan says. "When I was a kid, growing up and watching baseball, I always dreamed of being a big leaguer. I grew up, got to high school, then my dream was to play in the Pac-12. Right now, it's to get to Omaha (for the College World Series in June). Then it's to get into pro ball, and then to be a big leaguer.
"You keep moving your goals up."
Joey Morgan will keep handling those curveballs, too … whether they're on or off the diamond.
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