Padres’ breakout reliever is earning recognition as one of MLB’s must-watch pitchers

David Morgan, the Padres' 25-year-old rookie reliever, was having a great debut season before landing on the injured list. With a 2.80 ERA, 3.62 FIP, and 1.178 WHIP, Morgan has been putting up great numbers and has been a huge addition to the middle of the Padres' bullpen.

Now, Morgan is finally getting some of the praise he deserves. MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince recently named his All-Debut Team for 2025, and Morgan was mentioned.

Padres breakout bullpen arm earning respect across MLB

To be fair, he wasn't actually the reliever chosen for the All-Debut Team. That honor went to Los Angeles Dodger Jack Dreyer. However, Castrovince wrote that it was a difficult choice, and listed Morgan as one of a few other guys in consideration.

Castrovince thinks Morgan has a "strong case" as the best reliever to debut in 2025, and he would not hear any arguments against it from Padres fans.

Morgan was at his best between June 11th and August 20th. During that stretch of the season, the reliever appeared in 25 games, tossing 29.1 innings and allowing just four earned runs. He posted a 1.23 ERA and 2.81 FIP during that stretch while striking out 28 batters. That was before his blowup against the Mariners on August 25th, when he allowed five earned runs in one inning.

Still, Morgan has been impressive in 2025 and has the makings of a future high-leverage reliever. His fastball velocity ranks in the 92nd percentile, according to MLB Statcast, and he has a pitching run value of 4. While he has probably overperformed his projections, given his expected ERA of 3.62, Morgan has been yet another success story in a year when the Padres' bullpen has dominated the league.

While it's cool to see Morgan getting some media recognition, it would be even cooler to see him pitch in the postseason. Hopefully, Morgan will be able to make a quick recovery and rejoin the team come October.

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