Nyjer Morgan: One Reason For The Pitsburgh Pirates' Success:

I come across a good article on former Vernon Vipers Defenceman, Nyjer Morgan. The article is from May, 25th 2009 but I thought I would post it anyways.

Nyjer Morgan: One Reason for the Pitsburgh Pirates' Success

Nyjer Morgan is one of the big reason the Pirates are enjoying some success this year.

He has added some real spark to the top of the lineup, and been pivotal in the field.

In preparing this story, I was reading a lot of fan comments on the blogs, so many of them blasting Morgan.

Some said things like, “We are half way through ST (spring training) and Nyjer Morgan has not shown one single reason to deserve a starting job, to be frank, if it wasn't for the fact that we do not have anyone else to play CF, he doesn't deserve a spot in the bench.”

In fact, at the start of the season most described the former hockey player as nothing more than a placeholder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, until somebody better could get some minor league at bats and be called up. These comments seem sorely empty at this point in the season.

Now with a tight hamstring and a couple days off, John Russell and the Pirates were hoping that his absence would not slow the team down.

The funny thing is you don’t usually hear these folks apologizing for their comments. Morgan has impacted the team in all facets of the game—including hitting and fielding, to add to his base-running. If Morgan could hit for power, some might suggest that he is on track for an All-Star bid.

Morgan started the season off well and has not let up. His batting average just recently dipped down to .290, but there is no reason to believe it will not come back. He has 23 runs, 17 RBIs and 10 stolen bases on the young season. He has four three-hit games on the season. He also has five doubles and three triples.

If he has a weakness at the plate, it is that he does not walk enough for a lead-off hitter. But even his walks are up from last year, and it is making him a better hitter overall as he grows more patient.

“I’m a lot more comfortable," he said recently. "I’ve tried to slow the game down.”

In April he had just eight walks. There is evidence he is improving. He has 11 in May with six games left to play.

Perhaps very notable is that Morgan has added Gold Glove-type performances to left field as well. He has made so many over-the-shoulder catches taking away what are normal extra-base-hits, that they have come to be routine.

It is hard to think of another Pirate beyond Nate McLouth that can field like Morgan does. The Pirates have been playing Morgan well forward, and in from the left field line, because they know Morgan has the legs to get to balls that are hit over his head and can prevent doubles on hits up the line.

Morgan is actually taking hits away from Pirate opponents on a regular basis because of where they can place the speedster in the field—however, this does not always show up in the box scores.

Nyjer Morgan's Bio,

http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=460579