ATLANTA -- Nineteen years after being part of the same draft class as Brian McCann and Jeff Francoeur, Charlie Morton returned to the Braves and helped them win the 2021 World Series. The 41-year-old hurler’s latest return to Atlanta sets him up to retire with the club that raised him.
Morton signed a Major League deal with the Braves on Monday, one day after being released by the Tigers. Exactly when and how he will be used during this final week of the regular season will be determined after he arrives in Atlanta on Tuesday and has a conversation with Braves manager Brian Snitker.
“We just got him back, so I don’t know what the plan will be,” Snitker said. “I talked to him on Saturday afternoon before batting practice and this wasn’t even on the radar.”
Snitker’s love for Morton was witnessed yet again when he gave the pitcher a big hug a couple of hours before the Braves and Tigers played Saturday afternoon at Comerica Park. A little more than 12 hours earlier, the Braves had tagged Morton for six earned runs over 1 1/3 innings in a 10-1 win over Detroit.
Instead of that ugly outing serving as the finale of an 18-season career that began with the 2008 Braves, Morton can now construct a more pleasurable end. There’s a chance he could be used in relief, or just pitch an inning or two as a starter.
Morton could truly feel sentimental if the Braves choose to use him during this weekend’s three-game series against the Pirates. He spent seven seasons with Pittsburgh after being included in the trade that brought Nate McLouth to Atlanta in 2009.
Snitker said he didn’t hear anything about the possibility of reuniting with Morton until Monday morning. But it’s safe to say he and the Braves players were thrilled to hear their beloved former teammate would be rejoining them this week.
“Chuck has been here for a long time," Chris Sale said. “He means a lot not only to this organization and this fan base, but to all those guys in the clubhouse. He's taught a lot of these guys how to be a pro.”
Morton posted a 5.89 ERA over 32 combined appearances (26 starts) for the Orioles and Tigers this year. He was far from the consistent contributor he had been while producing a 3.87 ERA over 124 starts for Atlanta from 2021-24.
When Morton spent those past few years with Atlanta, he spoke glowingly of the organization. He was taken in the third round of the 2002 MLB Draft. It didn’t look like he would have a long career when the Braves kept him at the Class-A level for two years and later moved him to a relief role with the 2007 Mississippi Braves. But he made his MLB debut in 2008 and continued to benefit from a resilient spirit.
Morton, McCann and Francoeur all experienced Spring Training for the first time in 2003, at the Braves’ former complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Morton didn’t even start tasting consistent success until after Francoeur ended his 12-year big league career in 2016.
Morton’s late career resurgence began in 2017, when he was reunited with McCann in Houston. He helped the Astros win the World Series that year, earned his first All-Star selection at 34 the following season and finished third in American League Cy Young Award voting in 2019, the first of his two seasons with the Rays.
Atlanta fans will forever remember Morton for recording three outs after his right leg was fractured by a line drive in the second inning of Game 1 of the 2021 World Series.
Now, they will have one last chance to show their appreciation.