Former Zag, MLB reliever Eli Morgan manages ups and downs of pro baseball

ARLINGTON, Texas – In the fall of 2014, Eli Morgan arrived at Gonzaga University as an unheralded walk-on pitcher.

All the Southern California native did over the next three seasons was earn a scholarship and successfully transition from a hybrid starter/reliever into a full-time ace, a shift that went so well that Cleveland drafted him in the eighth round of the 2017 MLB draft.

Since then, Morgan, 30, has bounced from Cleveland to Chicago and now finds himself in the Kansas City organization, where he’d made 13 appearances out of the Royals’ bullpen and picked up one save before being optioned back to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

“The three teams I’ve been with have all been great with pitchers,” Morgan said last week. “There is a familiar face here with (Royals pitching coach) Brian Sweeney. He was with Cleveland before and that was a big factor in me coming here. I’ve been lucky to have some great minds on the pitching side throughout my whole career even back to high school and college.”

At Gonzaga, Morgan went 21-5, including back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017. His 138 strikeouts in his final season were second most in a single season by a GU pitcher.

“I loved my years there,” Morgan said. “It was super nice, a bit of change of scenery for me coming from Southern California. Had a pretty good group of ballplayers that came through around that time and feel like we only got better.”

Morgan, who began the season in Omaha, is one of seven former Zags to play in the big leagues in 2026, a group that includes Troy Johnston (Rockies), Wyatt Mills (Dodgers) – who was in his 2017 draft class – and Casey Legumina (Mariners, Rays).

Gonzaga has had at least one player drafted for 26 straight years.

“There’s definitely a good streak going,” Morgan said. “They had that big draft year (2022) with the three big arms. There’s always talent that comes out of there.”

Morgan has been coming out of the bullpen since his last MLB start in 2022. Now several years into relieving full-time, he says he’s been blessed to have pitched in three organizations known for developing great arms in Cleveland, Chicago and now Kansas City.

He also noted that all three are incredible baseball towns.

“The fans are great there (in KC). When that stadium gets packed, there’s real energy in there,” he said. “The history is cool. I loved watching that 2015 team that took it all the way (to the title). That three-headed monster in the back of the pen was revolutionary. They started the whole relief realm and now relievers cover almost as many innings as starters.”

As a full-time reliever, Morgan says he’s adapted by minimizing his repertoire of pitches, an adjustment he believes has made him more effective.

“I’ve shortened my pitch mix. I’ve honed in on what I’m good at,” Morgan said. “As a reliever, I don’t need five pitches so I just focus on my three and try to throw them as well as I can and fill up the zone. It’s less of a full routine to get through a game (as a reliever). I show up every day and know I have a chance to pitch and once I’m done, get some recovery and get ready to do it the next day. It’s a lot different process.”

That ability to adjust will likely come into play as Morgan vies to get back to the big leagues. For now, he’ll wait eagerly to be called from the bullpen, whether it’s in Kansas City or Omaha.

“Going back to the offseason, there’s been a lot of stuff I’ve learned about myself,” he said. “Doing a better job staying healthy this year than in years past. Feel like I’m in a good spot to continue to learn and get better.

“I started for so much of my career and the transition to relieving was easy at the beginning, but it does take a toll on your body. Finding different ways to stay in front of my body, you have to handle yourself differently than as a starter. That (the switch to relief) was over five years ago now. I’ve had plenty of time to get there but feel like I went through that rut that a lot of relievers go through once they’ve been used a little bit. Came out the other end of that and know I’m in a good spot to keep it going.”

Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.