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'Baseball Rat': Morel impresses Dash coaching staff, teammates with his knowledge of the game
Journal Photo by Bruce Chapman
Brent Morel
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Published: July 14, 2009
Soon after Brent Morel of the Winston-Salem Dash was drafted by the Chicago White Sox last year in the third round, he pulled out a map.
Morel, a West Coast guy his whole life, was being shipped off to the other coast to begin his career in professional baseball. Once he realized that he would be far away from California he adjusted much like he does at the plate during each at-bat.
"I've lived on the West Coast my whole life and went to college (Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo) at the beach," said Morel, the starting third baseman for the Dash. "It's a little different with the humidity and all that, and I think where I'm from it rains about five inches a year. Here, we can get five inches in a day."
After getting drafted last June, he played 60 games combined in Great Falls and Kannapolis. This season, he has settled in nicely with the Dash and is one of the top all-around players in the Carolina League.
The Dash, the first half Southern Division champion, will start a road a nine-game road trip tonight at Salem.
As much as Joe McEwing, the manager of the Dash, would like to chain Morel to third base for the rest of the season, the reality is that the White Sox could promote Morel to a higher level.
Morel, 22, leads the Dash in home runs (11), runs batted in (49), total bases (129) and runs scored (55), while hitting a respectable .269. And he's no lumbering third baseman on the base paths; he has a team-leading 17 stolen bases.
Despite missing eight games earlier in the year because of a hamstring injury, Morel has been a rock.
What's more impressive than Morel's offense is his defense. He has only three errors in 76 games, and, as McEwing pointed out, one of those errors was on a pop up in foul territory.
"Defensively and offensively he's just one of those guys that is intelligent about every facet of the game," McEwing said. "You can't say enough good things about him. He's hovering around .270 and he easily could be hitting .290 or even .300, so that's a hard .270."
You won't hear Morel bragging about his talent. In fact, teammates hardly hear him at all. Morel is a quiet leader who lets his bat and his glove do all the talking.
Teammates have nothing but praise for Morel.
Catcher Logan Johnson said that it was obvious from the first day of the season that Morel was going to be a team player all the way.
"He's the best kind of team player because he's not out for himself," Johnson said. "He's a guy that's going to make that diving play all the time. And I'm sure the pitchers are glad he's out there at third making those plays."
Johnson smiled and said that Morel has come out of his shell a little bit.
"He's got a calm personality," Johnson said. "I guess that's the best way to describe him. He's just quiet, but he has told a few jokes."
Designated hitter Seth Loman marvels at the way that Morel plays defense.
"He looks like he's bored playing defense, because he makes it look so easy," Loman said. "He makes all those plays and it doesn't even look like it's that hard at all."
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Morel was a great quarterback at Centennial High School in Bakersfield, Calif. At a sturdy 6-2, 200 pounds, Morel was a two-year starter for Coach Bryan Nixon. In his junior year, he was the offensive MVP of the conference. Morel know weighs around 220 pounds.
"I think he could have been a great college quarterback," Nixon said. "He had such a feel for the game of football, but I think his passion has always been baseball."
Morel also has a feel for baseball, according to Chris Cron, who managed Morel last season in Great Falls and is a roving infield instructor for the White Sox. He was in the dugout last week for a game and gushed about Morel's knowledge of the game.
"This is the first time I spent a game in the dugout with these guys and he's always talking the game and he's a baseball rat," Cron said. "Those are the guys you love helping and, with Joe being a former infielder, Brent just eats up all that information like a sponge."
Cron said that Morel's defense is what sets him apart.
"The defense is there and he could go play at any level," Cron said. "It's just consistently getting the other things in order. The good thing is we've got all kinds of time with him and it will be a nice little road for him as he goes up the ladder."
Morel had three productive seasons at Cal Poly before getting drafted by the White Sox. He misses college life because Cal Poly is located just minutes from California's Central Coast beaches. The Yadkin River just doesn't have the same lure as the California beaches.
The help combat Morel's homesickness for the West Coast, family and friends have come to town throughout the year. His father, Rick, came to town and Morel hit two home runs on June 28 against Potomac. McEwing joked that they are trying to get Rick Morel season tickets.
Morel, who idolized Cal Ripken Jr., switched his uniform number to No. 8 about three weeks ago. Morel snapped it up in a hurry when the number became available.
As for being a team player, Morel said that it's always come natural to him.
"I guess just growing up and being taught the way to play and everything you try to help the team win and usually good things happen," Morel said. "You are in it for yourself, but good things happen when the team wins.
"If you are winning ballgames you have to be doing something right."
Morel has done a lot of things right this season.
■ John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com.
Brent Morel
Date of birth: April 21, 1987
Position: Third base
Height: 6-1
Weight: 220 pounds
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
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