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Four years ago, Zach Morgan was sitting on the couch with his family in Turlock when a text changed the course of his baseball career.
The Lincoln graduate had been selected by the San Francisco Giants in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB draft.
Four years later, the Giants came calling again.
On Aug. 10, Morgan received the call to the major leagues. The Giants promoted the 26-year-old catcher after Daniel Susac landed on the injured list with a fractured kneecap, creating a need for catching depth behind Drew Cavanaugh.
"I was actually a big Giants fan," Morgan said after the Giants' 6-3 loss to the Astros. "2012 World Series, Game 1, when Pablo hit the three home runs, I was actually in the stands for that. It's a pretty fond memory of mine, so it's pretty cool."
Morgan was in Las Vegas with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, preparing for a six-game series against the Las Vegas Aviators, when he got the news.
There wasn't much time to soak it in.
Morgan caught a flight to San Francisco and arrived at Oracle Park in the third inning.
"It's kind of funny," Morgan said. "You're on the plane watching the game, and you're like, 'Hey, I'm on the roster.' You're thinking, 'Hey, I might be able to get in the game soon.' But yeah, it's pretty surreal, all of it."
The call came after five years in the minor leagues, where Morgan has compiled a .237/.337/.349 slash line with an 18% strikeout rate in just over 1,000 professional plate appearances. He's batting .269/.369/.370 with two home runs across 131 plate appearances between the top two minor league levels this season.
For now, Morgan will serve as Cavanaugh's backup, beginning with the Giants' Aug. 11 game against the Astros at 6:45 p.m.
His stay could be short.
NBC Sports' George Bissell reported that the Giants could add a more experienced veteran to handle the backup role for the final few weeks.
However long it lasts, Morgan can call himself a major leaguer.
"The Giants' pick (No. 226 overall) came up on the screen, and I heard my name called, and it was just a whirlwind of emotions," Morgan told The Record after being drafted July 18, 2022. "I just started hugging all my family members, and tears started to roll down."
The road to San Francisco started in Stockton.
Morgan starred at Lincoln High from 2014-18, earning All-Tri-City Athletic Conference first-team honors in each of his final two seasons. He hit .375 with a .466 on-base percentage, 33 hits and 15 RBIs as a junior before batting .364 with a .516 on-base percentage, 24 hits and 12 RBIs as a senior.
"You could tell when he was a freshman that he had something special as far as an athlete goes, a very good student of the game," former Lincoln baseball coach Paul King said of Morgan after he was drafted. "Just a real leader on the team and somebody that I could trust calling a baseball game from behind the plate, so I have more than enough good things to say about him."
That production earned Morgan a scholarship to Fresno State.
After appearing in 15 games as a redshirt freshman, Morgan broke through the following year, hitting .295 with a .344 on-base percentage, 44 hits, 26 runs and 19 RBIs. He ranked fourth on the team in hits and fifth in runs while adding five doubles and three home runs.
His redshirt junior season, though, put him on the Giants' radar.
In 55 starts behind the plate, Morgan hit .381, fifth-best in the Mountain West, and led Fresno State with 83 hits and 47 runs. He added 20 doubles, eight home runs and a triple while posting a team-best .592 slugging percentage and .454 on-base percentage.
The accolades followed.
Morgan earned All-Mountain West first-team honors, became one of three finalists for the Buster Posey National Catcher of the Year Award and was named an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove finalist.
A month later, the Giants came calling.
Four years later, they called again — this time to the major leagues.
This article originally appeared on The Record: SF Giants call up former Lincoln catcher Zach Morgan to major leagues
Continue reading...
The Lincoln graduate had been selected by the San Francisco Giants in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB draft.
Four years later, the Giants came calling again.
On Aug. 10, Morgan received the call to the major leagues. The Giants promoted the 26-year-old catcher after Daniel Susac landed on the injured list with a fractured kneecap, creating a need for catching depth behind Drew Cavanaugh.
"I was actually a big Giants fan," Morgan said after the Giants' 6-3 loss to the Astros. "2012 World Series, Game 1, when Pablo hit the three home runs, I was actually in the stands for that. It's a pretty fond memory of mine, so it's pretty cool."
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Morgan was in Las Vegas with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, preparing for a six-game series against the Las Vegas Aviators, when he got the news.
There wasn't much time to soak it in.
Morgan caught a flight to San Francisco and arrived at Oracle Park in the third inning.
"It's kind of funny," Morgan said. "You're on the plane watching the game, and you're like, 'Hey, I'm on the roster.' You're thinking, 'Hey, I might be able to get in the game soon.' But yeah, it's pretty surreal, all of it."
The call came after five years in the minor leagues, where Morgan has compiled a .237/.337/.349 slash line with an 18% strikeout rate in just over 1,000 professional plate appearances. He's batting .269/.369/.370 with two home runs across 131 plate appearances between the top two minor league levels this season.
For now, Morgan will serve as Cavanaugh's backup, beginning with the Giants' Aug. 11 game against the Astros at 6:45 p.m.
His stay could be short.
NBC Sports' George Bissell reported that the Giants could add a more experienced veteran to handle the backup role for the final few weeks.
However long it lasts, Morgan can call himself a major leaguer.
"The Giants' pick (No. 226 overall) came up on the screen, and I heard my name called, and it was just a whirlwind of emotions," Morgan told The Record after being drafted July 18, 2022. "I just started hugging all my family members, and tears started to roll down."
From Lincoln to Fresno State to the Giants
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The road to San Francisco started in Stockton.
Morgan starred at Lincoln High from 2014-18, earning All-Tri-City Athletic Conference first-team honors in each of his final two seasons. He hit .375 with a .466 on-base percentage, 33 hits and 15 RBIs as a junior before batting .364 with a .516 on-base percentage, 24 hits and 12 RBIs as a senior.
"You could tell when he was a freshman that he had something special as far as an athlete goes, a very good student of the game," former Lincoln baseball coach Paul King said of Morgan after he was drafted. "Just a real leader on the team and somebody that I could trust calling a baseball game from behind the plate, so I have more than enough good things to say about him."
That production earned Morgan a scholarship to Fresno State.
After appearing in 15 games as a redshirt freshman, Morgan broke through the following year, hitting .295 with a .344 on-base percentage, 44 hits, 26 runs and 19 RBIs. He ranked fourth on the team in hits and fifth in runs while adding five doubles and three home runs.
His redshirt junior season, though, put him on the Giants' radar.
In 55 starts behind the plate, Morgan hit .381, fifth-best in the Mountain West, and led Fresno State with 83 hits and 47 runs. He added 20 doubles, eight home runs and a triple while posting a team-best .592 slugging percentage and .454 on-base percentage.
The accolades followed.
Morgan earned All-Mountain West first-team honors, became one of three finalists for the Buster Posey National Catcher of the Year Award and was named an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove finalist.
A month later, the Giants came calling.
Four years later, they called again — this time to the major leagues.
This article originally appeared on The Record: SF Giants call up former Lincoln catcher Zach Morgan to major leagues
Continue reading...
