WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

2010
R:  284/363/347, 176 AB, 7 2B, 2 3B, 20 BB, 16 K, 6-7 SB
A-:  222/417/222, 9 AB, 3 BB

Spent the season in the GCL, where he was the primary shortstop.  He also played some at second and third.  He hit respectably against the younger competition, showing good plate discipline but not much power.  He moved up to State College after the GCL season ended.

2011
A:  234/312/274, 321 AB, 10 2B, 1 HR, 34 BB, 49 K, 5-11 SB

Mort opened the season as the utility infielder at West Virginia, but ended up as the primary secondbaseman when Gift Ngoepe went out for the year with an injury in April.  At the plate, he drew walks and put the ball in play, but didn’t hit for average and had no power.  In the field he had adequate range and his glovework was indeed reliable; he had only two errors in 96 games, including a few at short and third.  That’s a near-impossible total for the low minors.  Between the bad fields, bad scoring decisions, and often bad firstbasemen, most infielders probably get 5-10 errors purely through random chance.  Mort also got attention for pitching five and a third very respectable innings in a 19-inning game.  He blew a two-run lead in his first inning, but then threw four scoreless innings before finally allowing a run to take the loss.  He even fanned four hitters.  It was one of three mound appearances he made during the season, on a team that was strictly limiting the workloads of a very young staff.

Mort will probably be a utility player with one of the class A teams in 2012.  At some point, the Pirates should consider having him play all nine positions in one game.