David Morgan Is Off To A Strong Start, But Can He Keep It Going?

David Morgan has been proving people wrong for most of his baseball life. Overlooked by scouts out of high school. Undrafted out of college. And now? He’s pitching on a big-league mound for the San Diego Padres, the team that gave him a shot before anyone else.

Born in Mission Viejo, the 25-year-old right-hander’s baseball journey has been anything but linear. He played high school ball at Mission Viejo High before making stops at Orange Coast College and Hope International University. After going undrafted in 2022, Morgan signed with the Padres as a free agent, a low-risk addition that has returned unexpected value in the majors.

Morgan debuted that summer in the Arizona Complex League, posting a 3.00 ERA in three appearances. In 2023, he worked across two levels, Low-A Lake Elsinore and High-A Fort Wayne, logging a 3.83 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 28 games. The numbers were solid, but nothing special. But the Padres saw something.

By 2024, Morgan had reached Double-A San Antonio, where he ran into tougher competition and finished the year with a 5.04 ERA in 40 outings. Still, he entered 2025 back in San Antonio with improved command and confidence, and the results followed with a 3.12 ERA and 19 strikeouts in seven April appearances.

That earned him a surprise call-up to the Padres’ 40-man roster on April 27. However, he didn’t appear in a game before being optioned to Triple-A.

But on May 25, Morgan was recalled to San Diego, a move prompted by a vacated roster spot after Michael King was placed on the injured list. The very next day, he made his MLB debut against the Miami Marlins, coming into the game in the eighth inning and retiring the two batters he faced.

Since arriving in the bigs, Morgan has done more than just fill a roster spot. Through his first ten appearances, he’s pitched 11 2/3 innings with a 2.31 ERA, striking out 15 and walking seven. Opponents are hitting just .190 against him, and he’s quickly earning trust in middle-inning situations.

The ERA is strong, but some underlying metrics suggest caution. His Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) sits at 4.52, over two full runs higher than his ERA, pointing to a bit of batted-ball luck and strong defense behind him. His 14.3 BB% walk rate is on the high side, though it’s offset by an impressive 30.6 K%.

Morgan is primarily a three-pitch guy, utilizing a Four-seam fastball (45.5%), a curveball (29%), and a slider (20.5%). He also sparingly uses a sinker (5%).

The pitch that’s driving his early success? The curveball. It’s been his go-to weapon, effective against hitters on both sides of the plate. Opponents are batting just .200 against it, and it accounts for 11 of his 15 strikeouts. The curve boasts a 48.3 whiff% and a 42.3 putaway%, elite marks that show how effective it is at finishing hitters.

His slider, while less flashy, has also been quietly effective. He’s thrown it 41 times without allowing a single hit, though it hasn’t generated many whiffs (just two) or strikeouts (none). It may function more as a change-of-pace pitch than a true out pitch, keeping hitters off the fastball-curve combination.

The Padres' bullpen has been one of the more reliable units in baseball this season, despite some recent struggles. Though anchored by high-leverage arms like Robert Suarez and Jason Adam, a contending team needs more than just a few trusted names. That’s where Morgan can come in.

He’s shown he can get outs in the middle innings. The curveball is real. The slider has potential. If he can tighten his command and maintain his confidence, there’s a path to a long-term role, especially in a bullpen that values versatility and strike-throwing.

If Morgan continues to miss bats and limit damage, he could carve out a long-term role in San Diego, especially with the team often dealing with rotation and bullpen shuffling and injuries. For a club with October ambitions, having fresh, reliable arms like Morgan could make a difference come playoff time.

But with Michael King, Yu Darvish, and other potential roster spots expected back in the coming weeks and months, Morgan could find himself in a roster crunch. However, if he continues to deliver, the Padres may not want to send him back down. In a bullpen where roles constantly evolve, flexibility and reliability can be enough to earn a permanent seat.

For now, Morgan’s story is one of perseverance. A Southern California kid who never heard his name called on draft day, now wearing a Padres uniform and recording outs in meaningful games.

Morgan may not have arrived with top-prospect hype, but he’s here, and he’s earning every bit of it.