Drafted in the 3rd round (71st overall) by the San Diego Padres in 2003 (signed for $500,000).
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Few players have made as much out of a .187 summer in the Cape Cod League as Morton did in 2002. His six homers were one shy of the league lead and he was the best defensive catcher around. Though he's 6-foot-6 and 227 pounds, he moves well behind the plate and has good throwing mechanics. His size also translates into considerable power. The one real flaw in his game is an inability to make consistent contact. He struggles to hit pitches down and away, swings and misses way too frequently and never has hit better than .272 in college. Morton does show some patience but still needs to shorten his stroke and use the entire field. How much he'll hit as a pro with wood remains to be seen. The general shortage of catchers in the 2003 draft makes him a second-round possibility.
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Morton shortened his swing and showed the lowest strikeout rate of his career in his repeat of high Class A. He made it to Double-A for the first time in July, despite being a 2003 third-round pick out of college. Morton was willing to adjust his all-or-nothing swing mechanics last season in high Class A, closing his stance and minimizing extraneous movement. His raw power is unparalleled in the system, but he'll likely always hit for a low average. Morton is a natural leader behind the plate and pitchers like throwing to him. He moves exceptionally for someone who stands 6-feet-5 due to impressive flexibility, and blocks and receives the ball well. Morton's throwing, while always strong, was improved last season, but he still had to work to synchronize his footwork and exchange to increase the accuracy of his throws. Morton missed time in 2006 with a groin injury and the Padres sent him to the Arizona Fall League to make up for lost time. He projects as a backup catcher in the Mark Parent mold.
Morton's raw power and arm strength made him one of the more intriguing catchers in the 2003 draft, despite concerns about his ability to make contact. Both the good and the bad were on display during his first two years as a pro, as he entered 2005 with 31 home runs in 150 games, but also 177 strikeouts and a .216 average. He worked hard prior to last season to improve his approach and responded with encouraging results, including six home runs in his first eight California League games. Morton is an immense presence at the plate, with 70 raw power on the 20-80 scouting scale and a patient approach. Despite his size, he's surprisingly agile behind the plate, though his plus arm strength is tempered by a long release. Hitting for average will always be an issue for Morton, and he profiles as a reserve catcher at best. He's prone to chasing breaking balls away, and his loopy swing is designed solely for hitting the ball a long way. Morton struggled with a hamstring injury early in the year and has yet to play more than 104 games or prove himself over the course of a full season. He needs to show that the second half of 2005 wasn't a fluke, and he'll have to do it in the tough offensive environment at Mobile.
Minor League Top Prospects
Morton is an all-or-nothing prospect. Managers either believed in him as a big leaguer or had little use for him. He receives the ball well and throws average, but his 6-foot-6 frame makes it hard for him to move around from a crouch and could eventually prompt a move to first base. "As a defensive catcher, he's not close to the big leagues," Howell said. "As an offensive threat, he could be two or three years away. He has offensive thunder, but he's such a big man catching might not be where he ends up." Morton is all or nothing as a hitter, too. Like Dopirak, he has power but also strikes out in bunches. He never hit better than .272 with an aluminum bat in college, and has more leverage than bat speed.
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