Welcome back to another edition of Top Dynasty Keepers.
Last week I wrote about Nolan Gorman, a top 100 prospect who entered the 2022 season with high expectations. After being promoted to the majors he performed well only to have opposing pitchers adjust their game plans, leading Gorman to ultimately fall short of the high expectations people had of him only to rebound this year and now living up to those expectations.
This week I am going to focus on another player who has followed a similar path in Christopher Morel of the Chicago Cubs. Morel burst onto the scene last year only to ultimately struggle greatly down the stretch but is now performing well.
Road to the Show
Powerful Bat
Morel was signed by the Cubs in 2015 out of the Dominican Republic for $800,00 but had his pro debut delayed until 2017 after suffering a cut arm in a household accident after he signed. After spending the 2020 COVID season at the Cubs' alternate training site and the Instructional League, he was added to the 40-man roster ahead of the 2021 season.
One of the main reason's Chicago signed Morel was the power he saw in his bat due to excellent bat speed that produces a lot of high exit velocities - and home runs. The power was not immediately apparent when he first started his career in the minors. But since 2021, he has shown off his power in both the minors and majors and doing so to all fields.
Speed and Versatility as Well
While Morel's power is a great tool, he also has the ability to swipe a bag. An aggressive base runner, he stole 58 bases in 356 career minor league games and has added another 11 in 127 major league games.
In the field, Morel has displayed a strong arm and the ability to play multiple positions. With Chicago he has played in left field and center field as well as second base, shortstop and third base.
