Advertisement
Advertisement

Padres roster review: Adrián Morejon

San Diego Padres pitcher Adrian Morejon.
(K.C. Alfred/K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Sizing up the Padres’ 40-man roster heading into the 2022 season: Adrián Morejón made two starts before Tommy John surgery ended his 2021 campaign

Share

ADRIÁN MOREJON

  • Position(s): Left-handed pitcher
  • 2022 opening day age: 23
  • Bats / Throws: Left / Left
  • Height / Weight: 5-foot-11 / 222 pounds
  • How acquired: Signed as an international amateur July 2016 (Cuba.
  • Contract status: Earned $572,900 in 2021; will not be arbitration-eligible until 2023
  • Key 2021 stats: 0-0, 3.86 ERA, 0 saves, 3 strikeouts, 2 walks, 1.50 WHIP, .278 opponent average, 4 2/3 innings (2 starts)

STAT TO NOTE

  • 196 1/3 — The number of combined innings that Morejón has thrown in the minors and majors since defecting from Cuba. He made two trips to the injured list in the minors in 2018, saw shoulder woes push him to the 60-day injured list not long after making his debut in 2019 and required season-ending Tommy John surgery after making just two starts in 2021.
  • Down — The jewel of the Padres’ 2016-17 international spending spree, Morejón signed for a franchise-record $11 million because it’s rather easy to dream on an effortless delivery that can ramp a four-seamer up to 99 mph. Morejón pairs his heater with a plus curve, a slider, an emerging sinker and two change-ups, including a low-spin knuckle change. While injuries (see stat to note) had made it difficult for Morejón, a perennial top-100 prospect, to build his innings base, it looked as if Morejón might finally take off after winning a job in the rotation with 17 strikeouts in 14 Cactus League innings (3.21 ERA) last spring. Morejón, however, allowed two runs in four innings in a no-decision in his first start and walked off the mound with a forearm strain three batters into his second start. Morejón ultimately required season-ending Tommy John surgery, severely taxing the Padres’ injury-riddled pitching staff as the 2021 season wore on.
Advertisement

2022 OUTLOOK

  • While Morejón is technically no longer a rookie — he’s got two years of service time despite accumulating just 32 innings in the majors — he remains one of the more intriguing young arms in the organization. Baseball America, in fact, continues to rank him inside the organization’s top-10 prospects. That said, durability will remain a concern until Morejón can prove he can stay on a mound, and his elbow reconstruction likely keeps him sidelined until the All-Star break. It’s also an open question whether Morejón can stick in a rotation or if he’s destined for a bullpen role after years of injury issues.
Padres pitcher Adrian Morejon
Padres pitcher Adrian Morejon throws during a spring training practice on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021 in Peoria, AZ.
(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

ROSTER RANKINGS

Advertisement