Indians: Eli Morgan is raw potential but experience may be all he needs

Eli Morgan may not be a star for the Indians but he has some raw potential.

The Indians are now down their three best pitchers with Aaron Civale going on the DL for at least a month. He joins Shane Bieber and Zach Plesac as Indians pitchers who are, will, or have missed significant time this season. That means the Tribe is relying on guys like Cal Quantrill and Eli Morgan to help shoulder the burden. Morgan may seem a bit outmatched but the young pitcher may just need some seasoning to find himself.

The former Gonzaga standout hasn’t been used to failing often as a pitcher, and at his time in college posted a 3.15 career ERA, with 281 strikeouts against just 70 walks in 251 innings of work. He was both a starter and reliever for Gonzaga and showcased his control across three seasons before the Indians drafted him in the 8th round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

He only started five games in Triple-A for the Clippers, and in that time he posted a 4.84 ERA. Far from ideal, considering opposing hitters only get better in the Majors. Before being called up to Triple-A, Morgan posted a sub-3 ERA across four different teams. He’s got the talent needed to succeed.

Give Eli Morgan time and he’ll shine.

Eli Morgan is far from a bad prospect. He’s just not having a good start to his season with the Indians. The good news is that he’s improved in each of his starts. He threw just 2.2 innings his first outing, 3.2 his second, and finally hit 5.0 in his most recent game against the Cubs. He gave up just four hits in his last start and while the Cubs made him pay for each hit, Morgan did tack on nine strikeouts as well for the day.

He’s far from ready to carry a rotation, and may not even be on the team come September despite rotation issues plaguing the whole team, but the only thing Morgan needs is time and he should be fine. Should being the operative word.