Michael Morse left off San Franciso Giants’ NLDS roster
By Hayden Kane
Michael Morse is lose to returning from a strained oblique, but the San Francisco Giants have decided to leave him off their NLDS roster.
The Giants signed big Mike Morse to a one-year, $6 million deal this past off-season. They did so to address their need for more power on offense, understanding that they might have to sacrifice some outfield defense in order to add length to their lineup.
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For much of the first half of the season, this plan worked swimmingly. Morse’s power disappeared in the second half, however, which may have been caused by an oblique injury that kept him out for much of September. As he continues to heal up, the Giants made the decision to leave him off the roster for their NLDS series against the Washington Nationals.
According to Jon Morosi.
Prior to the team’s Wild Card victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy said the following about Morse’s status (from CSN Bay Area):
"“If this thing goes on, he will be activated at some point,” Bochy said. “He’s just not ready today. Believe me, I wish he (were). It would be nice to have him coming off the bench, but he’s not quite ready.”"
Morse’s overall numbers during the regular season were solid, though they lacked the pop that the big man usually brings. In 131 games he batted .279/.336/.475 with 16 home runs and 61 RBI. The main problem was the fact that Morse hit only two home runs in the second half of the season, a power outage that might be fixed with good health.
Now it’s just up to the Giants to find a way to stay alive in their postseason run so that they can bring Morse back to add pop to their lineup. If the past is any indication with this group, they will have a good chance of doing just that.
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