Akeel J. Morris (born November 14, 1992) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the Long Island Ducks of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. He was drafted by in the 10th round of the

2010 Major League Baseball draft The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. First-round selections The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team pic ...

. He made his

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) debut in 2015. He had previously played in MLB for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

, and

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

Early life

Akeel Morris was born in

Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands Saint Thomas ( da, Sankt Thomas) is one of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea which, together with Saint John, Water Island, Hassel Island, and Saint Croix, form a county-equivalent and constituent district of the United States Virgin ...

to Kenneth, a crane operator from

Saint Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...

, and Corlette, an insurance agent from

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

. As a child, before focusing on pitching, his favorite baseball player was Derek Jeter; afterwards it was

Josh Beckett Joshua Patrick Beckett (born May 15, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). A three-time MLB All-Star, he played for the Florida Marlins, the Boston Red Sox, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. After ...

. Morris attended

Charlotte Amalie High School Charlotte Amalie High School (CAHS) is a public high school housing a population of just over 1400 students, and over 130 members of faculty and staff. It is located in what is colloquially called the "town area" of the island of St. Thomas, Uni ...

. In December 2009, he pitched a

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...

, striking out all 15 batters he faced. Morris' parents paid for their son to travel to the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

to audition for the

Professional career

New York Mets

Morris was drafted by the New York Mets in the 10th round of the

. He made his professional debut that season for the

Gulf Coast League Mets The Florida Complex League Mets are a Rookie-level affiliate for the New York Mets, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Mets. The team plays its home games ...

. He appeared in eight games with six starts, going 1–1 with a 2.19 ERA and 28 strikeouts over innings. Morris played 2011 and 2012 with the

Kingsport Mets The Kingsport Mets were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League from 1921 to 2020. They were located in Kingsport, Tennessee, and were last named for the team's major league affiliate, the New York Mets. The team played its home ga ...

. He played 2013 with the

Brooklyn Cyclones The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island Boar ...

, and was 4-1 with one save and a 1.00 ERA in 45.0 innings, and was fifth in the league with 12.0 strikeouts per 9 innings, and 10th with 5.8 hits per 9 innings. After splitting time between starting and relieving his first four seasons, Morris became a full-time reliever for the

Savannah Sand Gnats The Savannah Sand Gnats were a minor league baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. They were a member of the A-level South Atlantic League. The Sand Gnats were an affiliate of the New York Mets in their final nine seasons. The team relocated ...

of the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

in 2014. In a game against the

Augusta GreenJackets The Augusta GreenJackets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina, which opened in April 2018. They previo ...

in April, Morris struck out four batters in one inning. He finished the season 4-1--leading the league with 16 saves, a 0.63 ERA, 3.0 hits per 9 innings, 14.1 strikeouts per 9 innings, and a 0.719

WHIP A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

—in 57 innings with 89 strikeouts over 41 appearances. He was named an SAL mid-season and post-season All Star, a 2014 MiLB Organization All Star, and a 2014 ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

'' Low Class A All Star. Morris began the 2015 season with the St. Lucie Mets of the Class A-Advanced

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

(FSL), for whom he was 0-1 with a 1.69 ERA in 32.0 innings, and was a mid-season FSL All Star. He was promoted to the major leagues on June 15. He made his debut on June 18 against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

at Rogers Centre in the eighth and allowed five runs on three hits and three walks in 2/3 of an inning; it was his one MLB appearance for the season. To make room for

Logan Verrett Scott Logan Verrett (born June 19, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Texas Rangers in 2015 and has also played for the New York Mets and Baltimore Oriol ...

, Morris was sent to the

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mira ...

, for whom he was 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 29.1 innings. Between the two minor league teams, he allowed 4.1 hits per 9 innings, and struck out 11.9 batters per 9 innings. He was named a 2015 MiLB Organization All Star.

Atlanta Braves

On June 8, 2016, the Mets traded Morris to the

for Kelly Johnson. He was assigned to AA Mississippi on the same day. On August 12, Morris was recalled by the Braves. The next day, Morris was optioned down to AA Mississippi. On July 6, 2017, Morris was promoted to the Braves major league roster. With the Braves, he was 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA in 7.1 innings. His

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...

topped out at 95 miles per hour, and his best pitch was a fading

change-up A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

. Morris was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on March 31, 2018.

Los Angeles Angels

On April 3, 2018, Morris was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later. The Angels called up Morris four days later and he pitched in the game that day. He elected free agency on November 2, 2018.

High Point Rockers

On April 1, 2019, Morris was drafted by the

High Point Rockers The High Point Rockers are an American professional baseball team based at Truist Point ballpark in High Point, North Carolina, which is part of the Piedmont Triad region. They are members of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Profession ...

of the

at the 2019 ALPB Player Showcase.

New Britain Bees

On July 8, 2019, Morris was traded to the

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs are an American professional baseball team based in Waldorf, Maryland. They are members of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Baseb ...

of the

. On July 12, he was traded to the

New Britain Bees The New Britain Bees are an American collegiate summer baseball team based in New Britain, Connecticut. They are a member of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL), a wood-bat league with teams in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connectic ...

in order to complete an earlier trade, without appearing in a game for the Blue Crabs.

Long Island Ducks

On November 6, 2019, Morris was selected by the Long Island Ducks in the

dispersal draft. Morris did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the ALPB season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and became a free agent after the year. On May 17, 2021, Morris re-signed with the Ducks for the 2021 season. In three starts, he threw 14 scoreless innings and struck out 17 batters.

San Francisco Giants

On June 11, 2021, Morris's contract was purchased by the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

organization and he was assigned to the Double-A

Richmond Flying Squirrels The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Minor League Baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at The Diamond. Th ...

. He elected free agency on November 7, 2021.

Long Island Ducks (second stint)

On March 31, 2022, Morris signed with the Long Island Ducks of the

International career

Morris was selected to represent

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

at the 2023 World Baseball Classic qualification.

References

External links

Akeel Morris stats
MiLB.com * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Akeel 1992 births Living people People from Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands Major League Baseball players from the United States Virgin Islands Major League Baseball pitchers African-American baseball players New York Mets players Atlanta Braves players Long Island Ducks players Los Angeles Angels players Gulf Coast Mets players Kingsport Mets players Brooklyn Cyclones players Savannah Sand Gnats players St. Lucie Mets players Binghamton Mets players Mississippi Braves players Gwinnett Braves players Salt Lake Bees players Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela High Point Rockers players American expatriate baseball players in Australia United States Virgin Islands expatriate baseball players

Great Britain national baseball team players 21st-century African-American sportspeople