Guardians Season in Review: Eli Morgan
Morgan proved a reliable and trustworthy bullpen option.
For the Cleveland Guardians, the 2024 season was all about the bullpen. Topping the leaderboards in almost every statistic, Cleveland’s relievers were one of the main reasons the team made it all the way to the ALCS. From the usual suspects like Emmanuel Clase to the up-and-comers like Cade Smith, every pitcher in the Cleveland bullpen did his part to round out a successful season. One of these relievers, Eli Morgan, was severely underrated all season but continually showed that he has the stuff.
A starter in his 2021 rookie season, Morgan was moved to the bullpen in 2022 as a middle reliever and has stayed there ever since. That’s where he spent the entirety of the 2024 season, frequently coming in as an early-to-middle inning relief option.
March was a very successful month for Morgan who pitched two innings across three games. Giving up just one walk in that third appearance, he held onto a 0.00 ERA to start the season without giving up any hits.
The first game of April was a bit more turbulent and skyrocketed his ERA to 7.71. Giving up two earned runs on two hits in just 0.1 innings of work, Morgan had no choice but to watch his numbers go sky high. Such is life as a reliever in April. The rest of the month saw him get back on track, giving up just one run in his next five appearances. He ended the month of April with a 2.16 ERA and seven strikeouts.
Had he been able to finish out the month, he could’ve gotten more consistent work and shown the team how reliable he is. However, an issue with his right shoulder had him sidelined on April 17th. He was placed on the 15-day Injured List and would not return until May 28th, the heat of the season. He pitched just one game in May, the day after he was reinstated, and gave up two hits and a walk in two full innings.
Just four days later, Morgan’s season came to a screeching halt once again. His shoulder began acting up again and he found himself back on the Injured List. This stint was a bit shorter, seeing him return to the big league club on June 29th. Just in time for him to make one appearance in the month of June, Morgan gave up one run on two hits in 0.2 innings of work.
July, like the two months preceding, saw Morgan make only one appearance. On July 3rd, he pitched two full innings, giving up just one hit and preventing any runs from scoring. With his ERA lowered to 1.98, Morgan was awarded with exactly what you would expect. A demotion to Columbus.
Between July 4th and August 3rd, Morgan made 14 appearances for the Columbus Clippers. He pitched 16.2 innings and gave up five runs on 13 hits. He struck out 16 and walked eight. Staying in the reliever role, he didn’t earn any wins but was also not charged with any losses. He continued to prove that he was a reliable option for the middle, low-stress, innings.
On August 4th, he was recalled to Cleveland. It was a pretty consistent month for Morgan who had only one turbulent appearance on August 26th where he gave up three runs on two hits in two innings of work. Across the whole month, he pitched 14.1 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on 11 hits. His ERA stayed at a satisfactory 2.51 for the month, and he held batters to a .204 batting average.
As the season came to a close, Morgan had his best month. Playing ten games in the month of September, he did not give up a run until his final appearance. He found his groove with strikeouts, picking up four in a two-inning appearance on September 4th. From September 7th to the 25th, he appeared eight times and prevented any runs from scoring. He was credited with two holds on the 10th and 25th, and even won a ten inning thriller on the 19th versus the division rival Minnesota Twins.
In his final appearance of the regular season, Morgan was a bit shaky. He gave up two runs on two hits in just 0.2 innings of work in a game the Guardians lost to the Houston Astros. He ended the regular season with a fantastic 1.93 ERA across 42 total innings pitched.
Morgan reached his second postseason with the Guardians this year and was called on in six of the team’s 10 playoff games this year. After nine days of rest, his first appearance came in game three of the ALDS versus the Detroit Tigers. He pitched just 0.1 innings and got the only batter he faced to pop out. The Guardians lost that game 0-3.
His next appearance was where the effects of his extended rest showed up. Morgan pitched 0.2 innings, giving up a run on two hits. The Guardians once again lost 0-3. The old Eli came back for, perhaps, the most important game of the entire season on October 12th.
In the win-or-go-home game five, Morgan made an appearance in the seventh and eighth innings in what became a bullpen game. With the Guardians up by two and a runner in scoring position, Morgan was called on to get two outs in perhaps the biggest moment of his career. Morgan did exactly what he needed to do and struck out Wenceel Pérez and Spencer Torkelson to end the inning and the scoring threat. Morgan jumped off the mound, pumping his fists in a moment that made this number one Eli Morgan fan extremely proud.
His first career ALCS appearance was extremely successful, getting all three batters out in the fifth inning of game two versus the New York Yankees. He faltered slightly in game three, giving up a run in the ninth, but nobody will remember that after Jhonkensy Noel and David Fry’s heroics. His final appearance came in game four where he pitched one scoreless inning, earning a strikeout, ground out, and fly out.
If you checked Twitter at any time throughout the season, you’d see many fans moaning and groaning about Morgan entering the game. If you check his Baseball Reference page, you wouldn’t understand why. Eli Morgan was an extremely reliable bullpen pitcher who was simply overshadowed by the four most dominant bullpen pitchers in the league. Year after year, he continues to prove what he’s capable of and contributes to multiple wins every season. A generally healthy player, 2024 was simply an off year in that respect.
One of the most underrated and underappreciated players on this team, you will never see this writer doubting him. While a strangely loud chorus on Twitter continues to say “Get this guy off my team”, those who really know Morgan will be excited for each and every appearance he makes.