San Francisco Giants: Mike Morse Returns to the Bay in Style
By Kyle Cardoza
Michael Morse only played one season with the San Francisco Giants, helping the team claim the 2014 World Series. He returned to the big league club Wednesday and made an immediate impact against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers.
It took one swing of the bat for the world – okay, maybe just San Francisco and Los Angeles – to remember who Mike Morse is.
The 35-year-old outfielder hasn’t spent much time in the majors since his last stint with the Giants, and the time he did spend in the big leagues since 2014 wasn’t very memorable.
But now the long-haired, free-swinging Morse is back in the Bay, doing his best impression of himself from the 2014 National League Championship Series.
Morse entered as a pinch hitter in the eight inning of a tight 3-2 game against the Dodgers Wednesday. He proceeded to stroke a two-strike fastball from Pedro Baez 412 feet and over the left-center fence, resulting in a game-tying homer, reminding fans of what he did for the club nearly three years ago.
— Grant Brisbee (@GrantBrisbee) April 27, 2017
His late-inning theatrics may have convinced San Francisco that he deserves to stay on the 25-man roster, but will he play a huge role for the team now?
It’s an easy answer: probably not. He even said at Hunter Pence’s wedding – yes, he was invited – that he would act as a bench guy if he returned.
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Morse understands that he’s past his prime – probably well past it. He’s never been a part of an All-Star team, even though he probably should have in 2011 when he hit .303 with 31 bombs and 95 RBI for the Nationals.
His next best season was in 2014 when he won a ring with the Giants. He crushed 16 homers, compiled 32 doubles and 61 RBI and posted a .279 average as a platoon player that year.
So no, he’s not going to be the team’s savior on offense – San Francisco ranks 25th in runs scored and batting average. But he can help the situation, as a long-term injury to Jarrett Parker and short-term injuries to Denard Span and Mac Williamson have left the Giants scarce in the outfield department.
San Francisco will take what they can get at this point, as their center fielders and left fielders are hitting less than .200 combined. And sorry, but Drew Stubbs probably isn’t the answer to this conundrum, but that’s a topic for another article.
Morse could be sent down when Span returns, but obviously if he can continue to hit well as a pinch hitter and maybe even start a few games in the field, he will find a way to stay on the 25-man roster.
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And of course, if Morse continues to hit in clutch moments like he did Wednesday night or three years ago, it will be difficult for manager Bruce Bochy to send him back to Triple-A.