2016 Blue Jays Season Review: Franklin Morales

By: Jay Blue and @JaysGirlEmily

Blue Jays From Away

Now that the season is over, the crew at Blue Jays from Away will take a look at the Blue Jays one by one and review how each player’s season went, whether he met expectations (or not) and look at how he fits into (what we think of) the Blue Jays’ plans going forward.

Right at the start of the 2016 season, the Blue Jays signed veteran lefty Franklin Morales, who had played 2015 with Kansas City but was having trouble finding a home in 2016. Morales signed a free agent contract with Milwaukee after spring training had started, but found himself released at the end of March.

Signing on with the Jays, Morales made his Blue Jays debut against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 5, throwing two pitches and retiring the only batter he faced. He came out the next day and did the same thing, throwing five more pitches, four of them for strikes. Just a few days later, the Blue Jays placed Morales on the 15-day DL, citing shoulder fatigue (despite only throwing seven pitches as a Blue Jay) and he was later transferred to the 60-day DL to make roster space.

Morales languished on the DL for more than two months, making his rehab return for the Dunedin Blue Jays in late June, throwing two innings there before moving up to Buffalo. He pitched very well in Buffalo, throwing nine innings with two runs against on six hits and four walks while striking out nine before getting activated with the Blue Jays.

Upon his return, he was excellent, throwing two one-hit innings against the Mariners on July 23. He couldn’t keep that up, allowing a solo home run against the Padres on July 27 and was tagged for three runs in 1/3 of an inning against the Orioles on July 31, earning him a designation for assignment and his eventual release.

Contract Status

Morales is currently a free agent.

Emily Says

The Jays signed free agent and former Royal Franklin Morales during spring training. The lefty reliever pitched a third of an inning each in two games in early April, before going on the disabled list with shoulder fatigue. He was later transferred to the 60-day DL.

He didn’t return to the big club until July 22, following a rehab stint. He appeared in three games in July – two scoreless innings, one inning with one run allowed, and a third of an inning where he allowed three earned runs (including two walks, a hit and a balk) and was charged with the loss.

He was designated for assignment and released outright a week afterward. In five outings with Toronto, he allowed four earned runs in four innings for an ERA of 9.00. He allowed one home run, three hits, two walks for a WHIP of 1.25 and two strikeouts. However, these numbers came from an extremely small sample.

Regular Season Grades

Jay: D
Emily: F