Morgan Cooper
| IP | 14 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 6.429 |
| WHIP | 1.429 |
| BB/9 | 7.714 |
| SO/9 | 7.714 |
- Full name Morgan Jay Cooper
- Born 09/12/1994 in Jarrell, TX
- Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Texas
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Drafted in the 2nd round (62nd overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017 (signed for $867,500).
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Cooper was a key part of Texas' highly regarded 2013 recruiting class. He lived up to those expectations as a freshman, going 4-2, 2.89 out of the Longhorns bullpen even though he was battling elbow pain. He missed the 2015 season recovering from fall 2014 Tommy John surgery, and didn't have the same breaking ball in his return. The Nationals drafted him in the 34th round, but as a redshirt sophomore, he opted to return to school. It proved to be a wise choice as his stuff was much more consistent in his second year back from surgery. Cooper's fastball sits 92-93 mph but touches 95-96 at his best and it has some late life. His hard curveball is still not what it was pre-surgery, but it improved throughout the season and his changeup is now average. He's always been a solid strike thrower who projects to have at least average control. Cooper's delivery has some stiffness and some effort to it, which concerns evaluators. But his combination of size (6-foot-4), solid stuff and success in the Big 10--he led the league with 96 strikeouts and was third in ERA (2.33) and average against (.200)--should propel him into the third round.
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Cooper had Tommy John surgery his sophomore year at Texas and took time to round back into form, but two years later emerged as the Longhorns' top starter in 2017 and finished second in the Big 12 Conference in strikeouts. The Dodgers drafted Cooper in the second round and signed him for $867,500. Cooper battled shoulder tendinitis at the end of the college season, and the Dodgers shut him down to rest rather than send him out to an affiliate after signing. When healthy Cooper sits 92-95 mph with steep downhill angle on his fastball. He pounds the bottom of the zone and commands his heater well. A hard curveball was previously his main secondary, but he began to favor his slider as the spring went on. His slider now projects above-average to go with an average curveball and a changeup still to come. Cooper has at least average control, and the Dodgers had him as a plus strike-thrower in college. Cooper has the potential to be a mid-rotation starter with a four-pitch power mix, but his injury record is concerning. He is tentatively ticketed for a Class A affiliate in 2018 pending his health.
Draft Prospects
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Cooper was a key part of Texas' highly regarded 2013 recruiting class. He lived up to those expectations as a freshman, going 4-2, 2.89 out of the Longhorns bullpen even though he was battling elbow pain. He missed the 2015 season recovering from fall 2014 Tommy John surgery, and didn't have the same breaking ball in his return. The Nationals drafted him in the 34th round, but as a redshirt sophomore, he opted to return to school. It proved to be a wise choice as his stuff was much more consistent in his second year back from surgery. Cooper's fastball sits 92-93 mph but touches 95-96 at his best and it has some late life. His hard curveball is still not what it was pre-surgery, but it improved throughout the season and his changeup is now average. He's always been a solid strike thrower who projects to have at least average control. Cooper's delivery has some stiffness and some effort to it, which concerns evaluators. But his combination of size (6-foot-4), solid stuff and success in the Big 10--he led the league with 96 strikeouts and was third in ERA (2.33) and average against (.200)--should propel him into the third round. -
An injury to Josh Sawyer opened up an opportunity for Cooper to move into the rotation as he worked back from November 2014 Tommy John surgery. Cooper had actually pitched through elbow pain through an excellent freshman season (4-2, 2.89) that included a dominating relief outing against Vanderbilt in the College World Series. Cooper's velocity has bounced back well post-surgery as he sits 91-93 mph and will touch 95 but his power breaking ball has yet to regain the same consistency post-surgery. Cooper fastball has enough life to misses bats although his velocity backs up when he's pitching out of the stretch. Cooper has been hit hard at times in his new role as Friday starter, so there is incentive for the redshirt sophomore to see if he can show scouts more in a return to school.
