2. Logan Morrison

2. Logan Morrison - First Base - 6'2 - 215lbs - Throws: Left - Bats: Left
(last year: 26)

The Marlins drafted first baseman Logan Morrison in the 22nd round of the 2005 amateur draft as a “draft and follow” out of a high school in New Orleans. Morrison, just 17 at the time, could have accepted a college scholarship offer but couldn’t have been drafted again for three years, so he went to junior college for a year and signed with the Marlins in May of 2006. In his first professional season, Logan hit .239/.321/.319 with 2 homeruns in 163 at bats between the Gulf Coast League and Jamestown.

The youngest player on the Grasshoppers in 2007, not much was expected of the 19 year old Morrison. Age was just a number to Logan as he led the team in homeruns and rbi. Like many young left-handed hitters, he struggled against lefties hitting just .195/.246/.398 in 113 at bats. When he is in a funk, Logan gets too anxious and shifts his weight to his front side. Because he couldn’t stay behind the ball, he would then hit weak grounders and lazy fly balls. When things are going well for him, he shows power to all fields and routinely takes outside pitches the other way.

In last year’s write-up, I suggested that if Logan could put up solid numbers in the Florida State League, he would be a top 5 Marlins prospect and one of the better first base prospects in all of baseball. Well he did more than just put up solid numbers in Jupiter. The 6’2 first baseman hit .332/.402/.494 with 57 walks and 80 strikeouts. His homeruns dropped to just 13, but he hit 38 doubles which should translate to homeruns down the line. Morrison was named the Florida State League MVP. After his impressive season in High-A, Logan took his show to the Arizona Fall League where he impressed scouts after hitting .404/.444/.667 in 99 at bats off some of the best pitching prospects in baseball.

Compared to Ryan Klesko physically, Morrison was considered poor defensively when he signed a few years ago. In his 3 years in the organization, he has made great strides around first base and some believe he will be an above average fielder when all is said and done. He still needs to improve his range and get to more balls heading into the hole between him and the second baseman. He played some outfield in the AFL, so that could be another avenue for him if he is blocked at first base in the majors. The 21 year old will take his game to Jacksonville in 2009 and that will be the biggest test for him to date. His ETA is closer to 2010 but it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him get some time in the majors in 2009 before all is said and done.