Diligent workouts pay dividends for Morrison

July 13th, 2020

MILWAUKEE -- still isn’t sure whether he will make the Brewers’ cut as a non-roster invitee, but he’s confident that his quarantine fitness program is making a difference for the better.

Morrison spoke before the start of Summer Camp about dropping 20-25 pounds since the suspension of Spring Training in March, and on Monday, he provided a status update. So far, so good, Morrison said.

“I think more than anything, I'm able to get going quicker,” he said. “I'm able to get my warm-up in, I'm able to get my reset in. If something particular is bothering me, I know how to fix that problem or that area of concern. Then in five minutes, I'm ready to go out and play or practice or whatever it is.

“I think I've pretty much been out there every day, if not every day, and I feel fine. I could go again today, go again tomorrow or whatever. At 32, I feel way better than a 25-year-old.”

While baseball was paused due to the coronavirus pandemic, Morrison diligently followed a workout and nutrition program with Christian Wonders, a Padres Minor League coach who formerly worked with Morrison at the Cressey Performance Facility in Florida. The program was developed by fitness guru Bill Hartmann, who counts Brewers pitcher Josh Lindblom among his pupils.

For Morrison, it’s an effort to stay healthy.

“There's a lot of things that go into it, but for me, my track record of being hurt all the time, there are things I can control and some things I can't control,” he said. “My body didn't feel particularly great in Spring Training. If I played a back-to-back, I'd be sore or have joint soreness, all that kind of stuff. I don't have those things now. Is it weight loss? Maybe a little bit, but I think more than anything, my body is just moving more efficiently.”

Morrison would require a spot on the Brewers’ full 40-man roster, but the path to Opening Day is a bit clearer because active rosters will be set at 30 for the first two weeks of the regular season (before the pandemic, they were to be set at 26) and because of the adoption of the designated hitter in the National League.

Brewers officials are intrigued by how Morrison’s power could play at Miller Park, which has proven favorable in the David Stearns era to left-handed hitters with power from Eric Thames to Christian Yelich. In Spring Training, Morrison slugged three home runs.

With no games yet against other teams, club officials are finding new ways to make calls about the roster.

“Everything goes into the decision-making process,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “I think we’re having to make decisions in a different way for the first time in this manner. But everything matters. I think Logan’s camp early in March in Phoenix made an impression for sure. His body of work as a baseball player makes an impression. His skill set is he’s a dangerous left-handed bat. That’s what he is. That’s what he’s done in his career, he’s proven in his career. We have to find if there’s a spot for that and where that fits the most and how he can help us.”

Last call
• Morrison said he’s enjoyed getting to know the city of Milwaukee over the past two weeks. He’s documented much of his exploration via Instagram, including morning “Sip ‘n Rip” reviews of various coffee shops around town. Morrison is a particular fan of cold brew, and he said his top three so far are the Pilcrow nitro cold brew from Interval on North Jackson Street, the nitro dark roast from Stone Creek Coffee and another from Brewed Café on East Brady Street.

“I think the reason I really like that place is because it smells like bacon when I walk in,” he said.

• Players got a break from controlled scrimmages on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s start of the “Blue-Gold World Series,” but those on hand to get their work included reliever Corey Knebel, who is completing a comeback from Tommy John surgery. He threw a live batting-practice session as he continued getting matchups against hitters.

• Counsell said the two players who authorized the club to disclose that they’d tested positive for COVID-19, pitcher Angel Perdomo and infielder Luis Urías, remained asymptomatic and in quarantine. Each must test negative twice consecutively in a span of more than 24 hours before joining camp.