TUCSON — Think of pitcher Franklin Morales as a wild mustang: sleek, fast, powerful and untamed. He’s such a graceful athlete that when Yankees scouts first spotted him they projected him as an outfielder.
The Rockies’ mission this spring is to harness the talented 22-year-old left-hander without breaking his spirit or pulling the reins too tight. If they do, he has the raw talent to make the starting rotation out of camp.
Rockies officials say Morales’ development has two keys: developing a sharper focus and a smoother, more consistent delivery.
“I have all the confidence in the world that he’s going to figure it out,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “But he needs to be confident in his mind on what he wants to do, and then go out and make pitches.”
In other words, Morales still gets sidetracked.
Flash back to Game 1 of the World Series at Boston’s Fenway Park, when Morales came out of the bullpen for the first time in his big-league career. He frequently wandered off the mound, fidgeting, as he attempted to regain his focus and rhythm. In two-thirds of a nightmarish inning, he allowed seven runs on six hits.
“He has to make sure that with all of that time off the mound he’s not wondering what’s going on, wondering, ‘What am I doing?’ ” Hurdle said. “I think more often than not he falls in the antsy category.”
Asked if it’s fair to say he gets too excited when on the mound, Morales answered, “Sometimes.” That’s why he’s working on altering his mound demeanor this spring.
“I’ve been trying to keep focus in the bullpen when I’m throwing my side sessions,” he said. “I’ve also been working on my mechanics. I feel a lot better.”
As a lefty with a 95 mph fastball and an effective slider and changeup, Morales’ stuff has been called the best on the Rockies’ staff. He spent most of last season at Double-A Tulsa before making his major-league debut with the Rockies on Aug. 18 in Los Angeles. He went 3-2 with a 3.43 ERA in eight starts. During a stretch from Sept. 11-27, he threw 20 consecutive scoreless innings, tying a franchise record held by Denny Neagle.
But Morales is still raw. It’s pitching coach Bob Apodaca’s job to smooth the rough edges. That starts with tweaking Morales’ herky-jerky motion.
“The key for him is to have consistent flow with his delivery,” Apodaca said. “It’s about rhythm, balance and bottom-line trust in his pitch.”
As Hurdle pointed out, it’s rare that a player arrives in the big leagues as a finished product. However, in the case of Morales, as well as teammate Ubaldo Jimenez, talent trumped inexperience in 2007.
“They have such good skill sets, and such dominating stuff, they can get away with some mistakes that some other guys can’t get away with,” Hurdle said.
As for his chances of breaking camp as the Rockies’ fourth or fifth starter, Morales chooses not to focus on that.
“It’s not my call,” he said. “I just have to go out and throw. Whatever they do is their decision. I’m just trying to concentrate on doing my job.”
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
