Phillies' Francisco Morales: Racking up strikeouts in short-season ball

Morales has recorded a least a strikeout per inning in each of his last five starts for short-season Williamsport.

A run of three bad starts from July 19 to Aug. 1 in which Morales gave up a combined 16 runs in 9.2 innings has seen the young pitcher's ERA balloon to an ugly 5.36, but his underlying numbers are solid and his recent performances have been encouraging. He pitched a gem back on Aug. 21 as part of his recent streak, striking out 11 while allowing just one run over six innings. Overall, his 13.3 percent walk rate is high, but that's offset by a solid 26.6 percent strikeout rate, giving him a respectable 3.98 FIP. The majors are a long, long way off for the 18-year-old, but he's starting to show a bit of the promise which saw him get a big bonus back in 2016.