Oh no, please please no.
After being promoted from Class AAA Indianapolis Aug. 19, Morgan batted .347 -- 41 for 118 -- with 11 doubles and 20 runs. He reached base safely in 25 of 27 starts.
Because of that, he is being considered for starting duty next year.
"He did some really good things," manager John Russell said. "He was exciting. He really added a dimension to our offense. His missing three games is not going to affect our evaluation."
The awful play near the beginning of the season didn't count, it seems.
Going into the year with Morgan as a starting outfielder would be a debacle. I've said it a million times, but once more: players with his skill set simply do not make successful big leaguers. It simply does not happen anymore. I believe the new management--who faced a similar decision about Morgan last offseason and ultimately went with Nate McLouth instead, quite possibly sparing the Pirates a 100-loss season--knows this. I can't believe that the PIrates' front office seriously believes Morgan could start next year. My guess is that we'll have a show competition in Spring Training, and someone else will win the job. But quotes like these are still disconcerting.
Elsewhere in the article, the Bucs indicate they're interested in bringing back Doug Mientkiewicz and Jason Michaels. I don't really care about Mientkiewicz and his grittiness and soulfulness either way, but I can't argue with the .372 OBP or his versatility, so I won't quibble. Michaels stinks, though. He has a .636 OPS for the year (including a .672 OPS for the Bucs after a poor start for Cleveland), and he can really only play corner outfield. I wouldn't mind having a veteran fourth outfielder, but I think the Bucs should try to find a better one than Michaels.