LA Angels prospect Gareth Morgan is trying to make the most of his latest opportunity

LA Angels prospect Gareth Morgan has been in the low minor leagues since being drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2014 out of Toronto, Canada. Morgan was signed as a free agent after the Mariners released him earlier this season.

Since being signed by the LA Angels and assigned to the Inland Empire 66ers at the beginning of June Gareth Morgan has been on fire.  Morgan has hit 13 homers and driven in 30 runs in only 29 games.  Morgan is hitting .286 (38 for 119).  He has given the 66ers some much needed pop in the middle of their line-up, but more importantly for Morgan he is back on track and back in the conversation for a promotion to Double-A.

Morgan has never made it to the Double-A level of the minors, but he is hopeful that if he continues to perform that this will happen soon.

“I’m trying to think of the game differently and trying to re-create myself,” Morgan said. “My punchouts (strikeouts)are still too high, but I’m trying to limit that. It feels good to be having some success and making good contact with some good pitches.”

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Morgan hit 19 homers last season for Modesto but had only a .158 batting average with 180 strikeouts in 298 at-bats. In 2017 it was the same story as Morgan hit .230 with 17 homers and 61 RBIs, but still had 185 strikeouts in 405 at-bats. Morgan is a big guy standing 6’4 and weighing 230 pounds. He wasn’t always a baseball player as his first love was hockey.  However, Morgan made a choice to pursue baseball exclusively in his freshman year of high school in Toronto and it was a decision Morgan still believes in today as he tries to move up in the Angels minor league system.

“I grew up on hockey in Canada, but I made decision in 9th grade to pursue baseball over hockey because I felt I was better in baseball that I was hockey,” Morgan said. “I feel I made the right decision, now I just have to show what I can do. Last year I was more nervous being it was my first time in High-A. Now I am much more relaxed. I’m just trying to get out of my head and treat every day as a new day and not let things carry on.”

Morgan hopes to continue to get better each day and eventually advance to Double-A and hopefully one day make it to the majors.

“I just try to stay positive. Just believe in myself and trusting in myself that one day I will be there (majors),” Morgan said. “I want to try to limit my negative thoughts and stay positive through the process and just try to get better.”

Good luck Gareth hope to see you in Anaheim one day.