Morel's reunion with Eloy could be catalyst for breakout 2025

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- The spring of 2016 was a tough time for Christopher Morel, to put it mildly.

He was a few months removed from sustaining significant injuries to his left arm, wrist and left eye in a freak accident that threatened to end his professional baseball career before it even began. He was only 16 years old, unable to play a game all year while working his way back to the field. And he was sent to the Cubs’ Spring Training complex in Arizona, far from his hometown of Santiago, Dominican Republic.

But it was then that Morel met a 19-year-old Cubs Minor Leaguer from Santo Domingo, an outfielder who was about to become one of the top prospects in baseball: Eloy Jiménez.

The two have been reunited with the Rays, Morel in his first Spring Training after a midseason trade and Jiménez in camp on a non-roster deal. Upon arriving at Charlotte Sports Park, Jiménez said he was excited to be back with his “ni?o” -- his son -- and the feeling is mutual for Morel.

“He was the first person when I came to the States that pulled me to the side, and he has treated me very well, like a dad,” Morel said Sunday through interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. “I'm very appreciative of that.”

Recalling their first stint as teammates, Jiménez said the teenage Morel often stopped by his room to hang out. Morel credited Jiménez for being “the one that lent me that hand” and “the one who took care of me,” and Jiménez said he could see and feel his younger teammate’s frustration.

“He almost lost his hand and arm, you know? I remember that. I remember he was crying a lot, because it was hard for him,” Jiménez said. “For me, too -- seeing him crying, it was hard. But he's a happy man. … I feel really proud of him. I'm glad that I'm here with him.”

After a rough debut for Tampa Bay down the stretch last season, Morel said it already feels like he’s among family with the Rays this spring. Having Jiménez around has only made him more comfortable.

Now, the Rays hope greater comfort will lead to better results for the talented 25-year-old.

Morel couldn’t have made a better impression last July after coming over as the headliner of the Rays’ return from the Cubs for Isaac Paredes. After hitting 60 home runs in 323 games with Chicago, Morel went deep in each of his first two games for Tampa Bay. But he fell into a two-month slump after that, batting just .188/.254/.255 with 54 strikeouts in 181 plate appearances.

According to Baseball Reference, Morel was worth minus-0.8 WAR in his 49 games with the Rays, the lowest total on the team. It was hardly what they expected from a player they’d liked for some time before finally acquiring him, and it’s not what they foresee from one of their top bounceback candidates this year.

? Here's why the Rays were so excited to add Morel

“Looking back, last year [was] probably a tougher transition for him than maybe what I anticipated. But his track record kind of speaks for itself in that he's had a lot of Major League success,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Offensively, clean the slate. Like, just go do your thing, be yourself, and we'll let the progression take care of itself.'”

Morel, who went 0-for-2 with a walk in the Rays’ 4-2 win against the Braves on Sunday at CoolToday Park, said he is making “little adjustments” this spring and figured it might take time to get acclimated with a new team. Tampa Bay set out to make one aspect of this spring easier for Morel, sticking him in left field and letting him get comfortable at one position after a career spent bouncing around the diamond.

Morel said he worked out in the outfield during the offseason, and Cash let him know he’d be playing left on his first day of Spring Training. First-base coach Michael Johns, who works with the club's outfielders, said they will dive deeper into defensive work with Morel as the spring goes on. For now, they just want to get him settled in and let his athleticism play.

“He's a really good worker, really good kid. He listens to everything,” Johns said. “He's certainly athletic enough, he runs well enough, he's long and lanky, and he's got a really good arm -- so he's got all the attributes to make a good outfielder. And he showed spurts of it last year, so it'll be fun to see where it ends in camp.”