Charlie Morton is once again a top-30 fantasy SP
D.J. Short explains how Atlanta Braves SP Charlie Morton has rebounded in strong form after a slow start to the 2021 season.
Video Transcript
DJ SHORT: Charlie Morton had a shaky regular season last year before rallying to a strong finish during the postseason. But the Rays still declined his $15 million club option for 2021. Retirement was raised as a possibility. But Morton found the right situation to return to the Braves, the team who originally drafted him in the third round in 2002.
Morton had some ups and downs to begin his second act with the Braves, but he's regained his ace form with a 2.64 ERA over an eight-start stretch through the end of June. The 37-year-old has put up 56 strikeouts and 13 walks in that time with a ground ball rate right around 50%. So the secondary numbers have backed up his success. He's also done a great job limiting hard contact.
Morton's resurgence has been huge for a Braves team which is missing Mike Soroka and saw early-season sensation Huascar Ynoa go down with a fractured hand. Given his age, the big question is whether Morton can keep this up. That generally hasn't been a good bet, given his history, but he's certainly re-established himself as a top-30 fantasy starting pitcher for now.
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