Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — He threw harder and had a better breaking ball than many pitchers who surpassed him on the Braves' organizational ladder. But Charlie Morton couldn't seem to embrace that fact.

Not until late last summer, when the right-hander improved his delivery and began striking out twice as many hitters as he walked. He started to believe, at least to a degree, what so many had been telling him: That he could be good. Really good.

PHIL SKINNER / AJC (ENLARGE)

PHIL SKINNER / Staff Right-hander Charlie Morton starts Wednesday for the Braves in the exhibition vs. Georgia.

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"You wondered, does he even know how good he is?" said catcher Clint Sammons, who caught Morton for most of three seasons in the minors, and will again Wednesday when Morton starts for the Braves in an exhibition game against the University of Georgia at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

"I guess there's a little pressure because it's the first game for me in big league spring training," said Morton, 24. "I'm glad for the opportunity to do it. Hopefully, I go out there and keep the ball down, stay aggressive. There's a reason they [UGA players] are here — they can obviously play baseball."

OK, the polite New Jersey native isn't exactly full of fire and vinegar off the field. But he's already honing those respect-the-opponent clichés.

What makes Morton special on the mound?

"His control and stuff," said Braves manager Bobby Cox, who first saw Morton pitch when he threw five hitless innings with seven strikeouts in an Arizona Fall League game in November.

"You've got stuff like that and control — which he did that day — you can pitch in the big leagues. He's always had the stuff. He's got a great curveball — not just a good one; a great one."

That big "12 to 6" curveball complements his 95-98 mph heater. Morton also throws a sinking fastball and a very good change-up and slider.

"?'Electric' is the first word you can use for it," Sammons said of Morton's stuff. "He really started turning the corner last year. You had to believe that was going to happen eventually. He got his mechanics ironed out and started to command the ball.

"His confidence started to get a boost. He started realizing how good his stuff is. I try telling him as much as I can, because I think that's an important part, for him to believe it."

His career took an upturn at Class AA Mississippi. Morton studied video with pitching coach Derek Botelho, who pointed out how the lanky pitcher needed to improve the downward plane on his pitches and improve his alignment with home plate.

He was only 4-6 with a 4.29 ERA in 41 games (six starts), but Morton improved significantly after tweaking his delivery and moving into the rotation in late August. He won the second game of the postseason division series, giving up three hits and one run with eight strikeouts in seven innings.

He got a spot in the prospect-laden fall league, and went 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA and .207 opponents' average in six games (five starts). Five of six earned runs he allowed came in one inning.

Morton was dominant in most fall league starts, including his last one, with Cox, general manager Frank Wren and pitching coach Roger McDowell in attendance. He wasn't aware that those three were at the game until after he'd completed his five hitless innings.

"Someone told me before the game [that Cox was there] and I didn't believe it," said Morton, who could have seen the manager if he'd looked in the first row during batting practice. "After the game Bo [Botelho] said, 'I can tell you now — Bobby, Frank and Roger were here.'

"I said, 'Sweet!'?"

Morton isn't regarded as a candidate to make the team out of spring training. However, Cox said he could get consideration if there are injuries this spring or later in the season. The Braves want Morton in the Class AAA Richmond rotation to build innings.

"Ideally, he'll make about 20 starts in Richmond and be ready to go," Cox said.