NORTH PORT, Fla. – Charlie Morton still remembers where he was when he heard that Tom Glavine signed with the Mets.
“I was at Danbury (Fair) mall at the Red Lobster with my mom, about to go crush all-you-can-eat shrimp,” Morton said. “And I remember we had on (the radio), and we were listening to the press conference. I grew up a fan of the game. You bring that into the clubhouse. And then you’re around them, but there’s still the back-of-the-baseball card. I had their cards. I tuned in to watch them pitch. I was like, ‘I want that guy’s autograph. I want to pitch like that.’”
This was 2002.
In 2008, when Morton first reported to major-league spring training, Glavine – now back with Atlanta – and John Smoltz were in their 40s. Mike Hampton was nearing the back half of his 30s. And Morton was a young pup.
Now it is 2024, and Morton is 40 years old. He’s the elder in the clubhouse, though he doesn’t pitch like it. He can still fire a mid-90s four-seam fastball and spin a curveball with the best of them.
“He’s a freak, to me,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s just amazing what he does at his age. I have so much respect for major-league players, number one, but the guys that have the extended careers just blow me away. Just watching the day in, day out, how they prepare, how they keep themselves (in shape), how well Charlie takes care of himself, obviously, to still be pitching at this level and to be doing what he’s doing right now, after all the innings and years that he’s had. He’s amazing to me. It’s a testament to his dedication and hard work.”
Remember how Morton watched other pitchers growing up? Well, 25-year-old Spencer Strider can recall seeing Morton pitch during his high school and college years.
“I just remember him being one of those guys that was (a guy that had good stuff) and had a big arm. That was when we were starting to put numbers on everything and starting to evaluate pitchers a little differently than just your eye test, and he was one of those guys that – I think he would tell you the same thing – that was even better than he was told he was. And he started to sort of learn more about himself and what his strengths really were.”
Morton has talked about how he contemplated retirement years ago. It has been an ongoing conversation over the last few years. Still, he’s valuable. He deserves credit for how he reinvented himself years ago to become someone who dominates primarily with a terrific curveball and four-seam fastball.
Nowadays, Morton said, it’s acceptable to throw a curveball in any count. And in 2016 with the Phillies, with current Braves pitching coach Rick Kranitz as the bullpen coach, Morton began throwing his curveball more because opponents weren’t hitting it well.
What separates those who reinvent themselves with those who do not?
“That determination and just that will and the desire to succeed and the drive,” Snitker said. “And, two, they always say, ‘Make ‘em rip that uniform off of you’ and there are some of those guys that you literally have to do that to.”
Morton is one of them. He’s still going – and going strong.
On Tuesday, few people had as good of a day as those who attended the Tigers-Braves spring training game at CoolToday Park. Those lucky folks got to see Strider and Morton – in the same game! This almost certainly would never happen in the regular season.
Strider started the game, then Morton followed him. There were nine innings of baseball on Tuesday, and Strider and Morton combined for 6 2/3 of them – Strider went four scoreless innings, then Morton tossed 2 2/3 scoreless frames.
In his portion, Morton struck out three batters while walking two and giving up two hits. Spring training evaluation can be difficult. Not only are pitchers building up, but hitters are also working on things.
Would Morton evaluate solely how he feels, or try to read the hitters’ swings and outcomes against him?
“I don’t know, because I’ve done both,” he said. “I’ve been in full-on panic mode before, where it was, like, I just can’t miss a bat. And then there have been times when I felt like I was dialed in like (I was in) midseason form. And I’m not sure which is better. I obviously would rather be in a really good spot, but I think my perception of that maybe wasn’t the best, both times. I guess I would just say, as long as I feel healthy and my arm feels like the ball has some life to it, while I have minimal effort – which I felt like I did, I felt like I was nice and free, easy – that’s really exciting for me. It’s when I’m kind of muscling the ball and kind of grinding, that’s when I start to get kind of panicky.”
By that measure, Morton – again, at age 40! – is in a great spot considering it’s only early March.
About the Author
