Rockies lefthander Franklin Morales didn’t spend much time in the major leagues. He also didn’t find any success there, which is why the Rockies optioned him to Triple-A Colorado Springs.
The Baseball America cover boy made five starts for the Rockies, putting up a 6.39 ERA with 17 walks and nine strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings. Morales, 22, struggled with his command last year, but the velocity on his fastball has been down this year and the speed of his changeup has been up—not a good combination for any pitcher. Last year Morales worked off a low- to mid-90s fastball that could touch the upper 90s when he needed, but he has struggled to reach that speed yet thus far.