What’s wrong with Franklin Morales?
His catcher says nothing that some seasoning, a dose of confidence and some maturity won’t fix.
His pitching coach says it’s a matter of focus, or lack thereof.
“I think he’s just been trying to overthrow a little bit,” said catcher Yorvit Torrealba, who has become Morales’ big-league big brother. “He’s rushing, and then he gets too fast. Every time he tries to throw it past somebody, he loses his control. He just needs to settle down and trust himself.”
Morales, only 22, entered spring training as a prime candidate to join the Rockies’ rotation as a fourth or fifth starter. Given the left-hander’s talent, that was an exciting prospect. Now, with Jason Hirsh’s sore shoulder sidelining him into the first weeks of the regular season, and with none of the other back-of-the-rotation candidates impressing, the Rockies need Morales to harness his talents sooner rather than later.
So far, it hasn’t happened.
Thursday, in five innings against the Cubs, Morales gave up six runs on seven hits, including a two-run homer to Henry Blanco in the second. Morales, whose spring ERA rose to 6.48, also walked two, threw two wild pitches, one of which allowed a run to score, and made a throwing error to first base. This spring, he’s rarely looked like the phenom who pitched 20 consecutive scoreless innings last September.
Morales’ fastball sizzles in the low to mid-90s and he owns an array of off-speed pitches. But when he loses focus, as he’s done a number of times this spring, he becomes his own worst enemy.
Manager Clint Hurdle declined to say Thursday whether sending Morales back to Triple-A to begin the season was an option. However, pitching coach Bob Apodaca made it clear today that he doesn’t want Morales pitching as if his career rests on each spring outing.
“I don’t want him to think that he’s running out of time,” Apodaca said. “I think we make bad decisions when we think we’re running out of time. He’s flashing focus, but it goes in and out. He needs to concentrate on what needs to be done today.”
Torrealba, entering his eighth season in the majors, has seen a lot of young pitchers come and go. He said Morales needs to quit trying to blow hitters away just to prove he belongs.
“Franklin, like a lot of young guys, thinks he has to show how hard he can throw, instead of concentrating on his location,” Torrealba said. “I told him he needs to make sure he’s enjoying the game and relaxing.”
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
