Charlie Morton, beloved by Braves’ organization, dazzles against former team

Even after he shut down the Braves in their series opener against his Orioles — allowing two runs through 5⅓ innings with seven strikeouts and one walk — Morton’s former teammates smiled upon hearing his name.

“‘Unbelievable’ is the perfect word for him,” third baseman Austin Riley told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Could always go talk to him, and he’s always positive. He’s always trying to get better. You ask anybody around here and in this clubhouse that played with Charlie, (they) would say the same.”

In hindsight, having Morton on the Braves’ roster would have been a big boost for a team that lost three of its top starting pitchers: Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach and AJ Smith-Shawver. But Morton’s impact with the club reached farther than his performance on the mound.

He embodied what it meant to be a professional baseball player — in all aspects, from showing up as a teammate to excelling as a father — and imparted wisdom on the Braves’ young pitching staff. Strider called Morton the “quintessential example,” and Braves manager Brian Snitker echoed his sentiment.

“I hated that we couldn’t work out something to get him back,” said Snitker, who still exchanges text messages with Morton. “Charlie was instrumental in all of our young guys. They saw how a pro does it, how a guy gets through and makes all the starts every year and has a long career and a successful career.”

Snitker later added that Morton would make the perfect pitching coach whenever he decides to retire. (Although with a fastball that topped out at 97 mph against the Braves and a devastating curveball to pair with it, that might take a few more years.)

And when Morton talks, it’s easy to understand why teammates gravitate toward him. He takes a moment to analyze each question before providing an honest answer that is rich in depth and perspective.

Take his response to a question about what drives him to continue playing baseball, for example. The 18-year veteran does not need the money that comes with being a starting pitcher anymore, and two All-Star appearances with a pair of World Series rings are certainly enough accolades.

But Morton continues to put on his jersey and trot out to the mound because he loves the game.

“Baseball certainly became something more than just a job,” Morton told the AJC. “When that happens, it’s kind of just a part of you, and that part is always going to love the game — lacing the cleats up, the smell of the grass, the feel of the dirt on the mound, the sound of the ball, the ballpark, the feeling that you get when you step on the field and you cross the line. Somebody steps in the box, and you know that that person, it means a lot to them, too.”

Living the dream

Strider said Morton still has a love for the game that radiates within younger players. He is not a grizzled, old veteran who begrudgingly drives to the ballpark each day; instead, he approaches each opportunity with enthusiasm.

Part of his demeanor is because Morton does not feel the pressure that burdened him early in his career. He’s been in the league since 2008, so he’s seen it all — the excitement when making his debut, the disappointment upon being optioned back to the minor leagues and the joy of winning — and closing out — a World Series.

Morton has more than paid his dues, so now he can just enjoy living out his dream.

“I think of just when I was a kid, and I think about what it must have been like to be a Major League Baseball player,” Strider said. “Carrying that dream and that vision of what (MLB) felt like when you’re young. He’s somebody that kind of still has that at his age. And at his point in his career, he seems connected with what that was as a kid. I don’t know that that’s something that many guys maintain, unfortunately. And early on in my career, he demonstrated that relationship with the game. I think that that’s something that, it’s pretty special.”

And Morton, 41, who was the second-oldest player in MLB on opening day, shows no signs of fizzling out. A 2.97 ERA over his last seven starts demonstrate he appears to be on the other side of a rough stretch that temporarily moved him to the Orioles’ bullpen.

He has also amassed 87 strikeouts this season through 77⅓ innings, with 44 of them coming on Morton’s bread-and-butter — the aforementioned devastating curveball. The pitch is his go-to, and its spin rate of 3,459 revolutions per minute Friday against the Braves was the highest of his career since Statcast began tracking it in 2015.

“He’s aging like fine wine,” Riley said. “He cares so much about the game, and to be able to do that at his age — to keep his body in shape, to stay healthy — that says a lot about him, and so it’s not shocking. I definitely see the work.”

Morton attributed his consistency to making sure he is hitting certain cues, whether it be with his pitch delivery or his grip. He said he feels similar to the pitcher he was five years ago, during the prime of his career.

‘A good professional’

Unfortunately for Morton, he is a part of an Orioles organization that is in a similar position to the Braves. Both teams have underperformed, with identical 39-49 records entering Sunday’s series finale, and are inching closer to becoming sellers rather than buyers at the impending trade deadline.

Morton, who was an important piece of the Braves’ 2021 World Series team, said he does not watch his former club often (understandable, given the time commitment of MLB, combined with his family life). But he believes the Braves possess a “special group,” similar to the ones he spent time with.

“Sometimes, you have the talent,” said Morton, who received an ovation after a short tribute video during the second game of the series. “Sometimes, you have the clubhouse that you need to win, and it just doesn’t work out. … But what you can do is make yourself better. You can be a good human being and a good teammate.

“You can be a good professional and you can put yourself in the best position possible to be in a support role for your teammates, as well as contribute on the field. And that’s how you win. You care about each other, and you care about yourself and your position in the team well enough that you go out and you perform.”

Morton may be a part of the Orioles for the remainder of the season, or he might get traded before the deadline to a team that needs pitching help. Either way, he’s going to continue relishing taking the mound every five days to play a game he still loves as much as he did when he was a child.

“As you get later on in your career, I think it becomes kind of like a romantic relationship with baseball,” Morton said before pausing to carefully analyze his next words. “You become part of baseball, and it becomes part of you, the longer you go. There’s a relationship that you have in your head and your heart with baseball, and at some point, it just is who you are.”

And he’s likely got a few more seasons in him, if that’s what he desires.