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Is it time to consider Charlie Morton among the greatest R-Braves?

Posted on by angelo

Chipper Jones, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Dale Murphy…

Maybe it’s time to name Charlie Morton “Richmond’s Best Former Brave.” On Friday, when Morton and the Atlanta Braves beat Pittsburgh, he became the 22nd pitcher in MLB history to record at least one victory against all 30 teams.

Morton, 40, is the last of a species. No other former R-Brave is an active MLB player, and it has been that way for some time. Atlanta’s Triple-A team, which arrived in Richmond in 1966, moved to Gwinnett, Georgia, for the 2009 season.

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Morton pitched at the Diamond for the R-Braves in 2008 as a 24-year-old who began his professional career after being drafted in the third round in 2002 by the Braves out of his high school in Connecticut.







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As a member of the Richmond Braves, Charlie Morton went 5-2 with a 2.05 ERA at age 24 before being promoted to Atlanta. He was not considered a great prospect when he arrived at the Diamond.


DAN CURRIER, TIMES-DISPATCH


When Morton arrived at the Diamond in 2008, he wasn’t considered one of Atlanta’s top prospects. Not even close. During his first six professional years, Morton never had a winning record in a season and reached Triple-A with a record of 25-43.

“It’s something that has always been frustrating. People are on your side, and you’re not able to do anything with the tools that you have,” Morton, who is 6 feet 10 inches tall, told the Times-Dispatch in 2008.







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Morton


“The Braves had drilled into my head that everything would come together, that I was better than what I was throwing. I had it. It was the trust I had in the organization and the trust the organization had in me.

He blossomed as an R-Brave in 2008 under Guy Hansen, the R-Braves’ pitching coach from 2001-04 and again from 2007-08, and the former Kansas City Royals pitching coach.

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Morton was recalled by Atlanta in June 2008, after Glavine was unavailable due to an elbow strain. At that time, Morton was 5-2 with a 2.05 ERA for the R-Braves.

“What impresses me about Charlie is he tends to elevate his game when runners come on base,” Richmond manager Dave Brundage told the Times-Dispatch in 2008. “His speed increases. His concentration, his concentration improves. This is the sign of a good competitor.

Morton suffered several injuries during his 2,046 MLB innings and underwent Tommy John surgery while with the Pirates from 2009-15.

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He also pitched for the Phillies, Astros and Rays, moving via trade or free agency, and is 135-117 with a career ERA of 3.99.

“With all the innings, the pitches, the years and everything he’s recorded, the way that ball keeps coming out blows my mind,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker, Richmond’s manager in 2006 and briefly a catcher for the R-Braves in 1978, said after Morton’s start Friday against Pittsburgh. “It’s tough to replace Charlie. I think at some point he’s going to have to ride off into the sunset.”

“But if he feels good and continues to throw the ball well…”

Few Richmond-area residents, relatively speaking, saw Morton or the last R-Braves team play at the Diamond. The January 14, 2008 announcement that the Triple-A franchise would move to Gwinnett for the 2009 season set up a very odd home schedule for the R-Braves in 2008. Fans were disappointed by Atlanta’s decision and the failure of Richmond-area politicians to work out a deal to keep the team. The public was not exactly motivated to support the home team.







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Richmond Braves catcher Jason Phillips made the tag on Lehigh Valley’s Andy Tracy at the Diamond during a July 2008 game, when attendance was unimpressive.


Clement Britt, Times-Dispatch


The R-Braves finished 63-78. The average home attendance of 4,454 was lower than all but two of the 30 Triple-A franchises and the lowest since The Diamond opened in 1985. Several Double-A affiliates and a few independent league teams fared better drawn as the R-Braves. In each of their last five seasons, they have ranked 10th to last in the 14-team International League in terms of average home attendance.

In 2010, with the arrival of the Double-A Flying Squirrels, Diamond’s capacity was reduced from 12,134 to 9,560, with advertising banners covering some upper deck seats. The Flying Squirrels averaged about 6,200 people at the Diamond during their tenure.

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