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Braves Sign Minor League Pitcher Eduardo Morlan

The Braves have signed Eduardo Morlan, a former pitching prospect with the Twins, Rays, and Brewers. He was pitching this year for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Independent Atlantic League. He will be assigned to the Mississippi Braves roster.

He's a former top prospect who was traded from Minnesota to Tampa Bay in the Matt Garza - Delmon Young trade. In 2009 he was a Rule 5 pick by the Brewers, but was then sent back to the Rays. The Brewers signed him a year later after Tampa Bay released him.

Once thought of as a possible future closer, Morlan has a low to mid-90s fastball and a plus slider, but has been plagued throughout his career with shoulder injuries. He's a former third-round pick, but hasn't gotten a chance above double-A. I'm not sure why no one signed him this off-season, but at 25 he's likely still got a chance to move up the ladder and have an impact.

John Sickels ranked Morlan as the 45th-best pitching prospect in baseball in 2008, one spot ahead of Matt Latos. Sickels ranked him fourth on the Twins top prospect list, then ninth on the Rays list after the trade. Baseball America ranked him 15th in the Rays system in 2008, then 19th in the Brewers system in 09.

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