MLB Network Radio host Cliff Floyd (@Sleepy30), (who is friends w/ Michael Morse, to be clear before I write the following words), threatened to smack the Washington Nationals' 1B/LF when the 29-year-old slugger told the 17-year major league-vet that he planned to walk more in 2012 during an MLB Roundtrip interview tonight. Morse, a seven-year veteran who hit 36 doubles and 31 HR's while posting a .303/.360/.550 line, walking 36 times and striking out 126 times in 146 games and 575 PA's in a +3.4 fWAR 2011 season, signed a 2-year/$10.5M dollar extension earlier this winter. The response that prompted the threats from Cliff Floyd came when he asked Morse what he would concentrate on this Spring and this season:
Cliff Floyd: "Mike, I want to talk about you for a minute, and what you did last year. I mean, you had a breakout season. Now expectations are on you. When pitching coaches bring their pitchers into meetings, you're going to be on that board as a guy to not let you beat them. What are you doing differently this year, mentally, to prepare yourself for that little added... I'm not saying you're going to put that pressure on yourself, but that little added pressure of now you are the man on this team, or one of the men?"
Michael Morse: "Well, one thing I'm going to try to do this year, it might sound a little weird, but I want to try to walk more. I'm a free swinger, I've always been, but I think-- "
Cliff Floyd: "You're going to make me smack you. You're going to make me come through-- I'm gonna see you tonight and I'm going to smack you for that comment right there. I'm gonna knock you out."
Michael Morse: "Well... I... " [laughs]
Cliff Floyd: "No, no, I'm gonna knock you out!"
Michael Morse: [laughs]
Cliff Floyd: "You walk more? We had this conversation last night. The 2-0 fastballs? If I'm watching you taking 2-0 fastballs I'm going to come to Washington and I'm gonna knock you out."
Michael Morse: "You know I'm not doing that."
Cliff Floyd: "Oh."
Michael Morse: "What I saw, about the second-half, was, I saw a lot of pitches I chased. I would start to get... you know, if I'm chasing balls, I start to hit too, too aggressive, and especially in situations where there might have been an open base or something, that, in the back of my head I'm thinking, 'Okay, the base is open, really see the ball,' but at the same time I'm thinking I want this RBI or I'm trying to get a hit, so maybe, you know what Cliff, maybe not walk more but just be smarter at the plate..."
Cliff Floyd: "Right."
Michael Morse: "I'll rephrase myself, cause I don't want to get smacked by you."
Cliff Floyd: "You're not going to be taking 1-0, 2-0 fastballs, be more selective, I'll take that, be more selective is good."
The former MLB slugger went on to explain that getting ahead in the count and seeing the 2-0 heater is obviously what Morse should be looking to do, since pitchers will try to get him to chase early in the count, and the Nationals' slugger explained that he understood. "After a while," Morse said, when you're having success, "They're going to try to get you to chase and if you're swinging at those pitches, they're not going to give in. They're going to say, 'Okay, I can throw this here all day and he's going to chase it." That goes for fastballs upstairs, Danny Espinosa and sliders outside, Ian Desmond. I said that, not Cliff Floyd or Morse, again, to be clear, but the real lesson to draw from the latest Michael Morse interview? Friends don't let friends take 2-0 fastballs.
0 recs | 16 comments
"I'll rephrase myself, cause I don't want to get smacked by you."
words to live by….
cat daddy3000 - February 8, 2012
Over or under 50 bombs for morse this year?
Hey I just saw on espn that keith law ranked all the farm teams. He had the padres at number one but you need insider to see the rest of it. Any of ya’ll have it? I’m curious where he put the nats
ckrips - February 9, 2012
what non-roided player is expected to hit 50? I'll take the under.
William.Hatheway - February 9, 2012
Law tore up the Nats post-Gio trade
FYI – I DO NOT agree with these rankings, and I’m suspicious of the criteria used to compile them. Anyway, here it is…
Here’s the rankings:
1. Padres
2. Rays
3. Jays
4. Cardinals
5. Royals
6. D-Backs
7. Rangers
8. Pirates
9. A’s
10. Yankees
11. Mariners
12. Dodgers
13. Rockies
14. Twins
15. Angels
16. Braves
17. O’s
18. Red Sox
19. Reds
20. Cubs
21. Nats
22. Mets
23. Brewers
24. Tigers
25. Phillies
26. Giants
27. Astros
28. Marlins
29. Indians
30. White Sox
DC_Dodger - February 9, 2012
I'm always suspicious
of the ramblings of someone who is a failed evaluator of talent. If Mr. Law could accurately discern which players were better than the others he would still be employed in MLB.
wittcap79 - February 9, 2012
He was offered a job with Houston this year and turned it down
Seems to be a choice rather than a “failed evaluator” issue.
Bsullivan - February 9, 2012
One job offer in 7 years?
wittcap79 - February 9, 2012
he gets paid to evaluate players now
Bsullivan - February 9, 2012
probably more than he would be for a team in the MLB
who make chicken scratch.
Bsullivan - February 9, 2012
I'm guessing that Law has just ignored the 2011 draft class.
And if you do that, the Nationals systems is pretty bare outside of Harper. Given that our class of 2011 draftees was better (and more expensive) than most, I think we deserve to be rated much higher, but probably low-teens. I see no reason for the Yankees to be ranked so high. The A’s seem low, the Royals seem high unless he’s still counting the mulititude of guys that played MLB last year (Hosmer, Moustakas, Perez, Crow, Giavotella).
chubias - February 9, 2012
yeah, IIRC,
Law doesn’t like betting the farm on players who have yet to play a professional game (coughRendonPurkeMeyerGoodwincough), especially if there were injury (coughRendonPurkecough) concerns.
jbg2772 - February 9, 2012
his list is out, hasn't ignored the 2011 class at all
Bsullivan - February 9, 2012
Yeah, I don't really understand his rating system here then.
chubias - February 9, 2012
Thanks for posting that
Baseball America had us at 1 and he put us 20 spots down?? Seems pretty bogus.
ckrips - February 9, 2012
BBA had not taken the Gonzalez trade into account.
At least some of the discrepancy is explained there. Then there’s the fact that BBA puts a lot more weight on potential than readiness, it seems.
RobBobS - February 9, 2012
Law wouldn't of had us much higher even before the trade
He thinks Peacock is no more than a bullpen arm, and wasn’t really high or low on Norris, he was just a nice catching prospect. Liked Cole a lot though, and can’t remember him ever really caring about Milone.
Point being, A good upside starter in high A, a decent catching prospect, and a bull pen arm do not take a farm system from 21 to top 10. At least, it most likely doesn’t unless your ranking system is incredibly arbitrary (or the differences between 2nd tier systems are incredibly small, which would render the exercise of “ranking” them kind of pointless).
feichan - March 5, 2012
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