New Phillies reliever Mike Morin has an ‘abnormal’ pitch

PITTSBURGH -- When Mike Morin entered the visitors clubhouse Saturday afternoon at PNC Park, he found his locker tucked into a back corner. The pitcher was joining the Phillies, his fifth team since 2017. Another new jersey hung with his name on it. The journey continued. And it is thanks to one pitch.

“I have a good change-up and that’s probably why I’m here,” said Morin, whom the Phillies acquired from Minnesota for cash considerations.

Morin had a 1.66 ERA in 22 appearances with the Twins before he was roughed up July 4 for four runs in an inning. Minnesota designated the 28-year-old for assignment July 16. The Phillies optioned J.D. Hammer to triple A to make room for him.

Morin’s change-up is the third-slowest in baseball, averaging just 73.6 mph. He relies on it for 35.9 percent of his pitches, which is the 12th-highest rate among major-league pitchers. Opponents have hit just .172 this season against the pitch and it was enough for the Phillies to take a low-risk shot to see if he can stick in their bullpen.

He is under club control for two more seasons, but cannot be optioned to the minors.

“It’s not really a secret, right,” Morin said of his change-up. “But until a hitter’s in the box, it’s something that’s very rarely seen. It’s kind of like a knuckleball or something like that. It’s an abnormal pitch that people can talk about, but until you’ve actually seen it, it takes a little while for people to adjust. That’s my gift.”

Morin’s acquisition was the second move this week by the front office to add pitching at no cost. The Phillies signed veteran lefthander Drew Smyly on Friday and will start him Sunday. They still plan to add pitching before the July 31 trade deadline, but these moves were worth a shot as the trade market still shapes up.

His last outing with the Twins, Morin said, was one bad night. If so, the Phillies may have found a piece for their bullpen.

They have constructed a bullpen heavy on hard-throwing relievers with high-strikeout rates. Morin’s sinker, which takes the place of his fastball, is just 92 mph. He averaged just 4.4 strikeouts per nine innings with the Twins. He is an abnormal reliever for the Phillies. And that could be OK because of an abnormal pitch.

“The reason that’s effective is because there’s so many guys who have high-velocity fastballs around the league and that really gives you a different look. It’s hard to make that adjustment,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “Mike is a different look and I think anything that stands out as different is good, usually.”

Rhys Hoskins entered Saturday with a National League-leading 75 walks and Bryce Harper was second with 63. The Phillies have not had the top two walk leaders since 1915, when Gavvy Cravath and Dave Bancroft finished 1-2. ...The Phillies will have to make a move to create a 40-man-roster spot for Drew Smyly before adding him to the 25-man roster ahead of Sunday’s start.