A Schelling For Your Thoughts

MILWAUKEE — Hunter Morris didn’t expect to still be on the board in the fourth round. The Brewers, who selected Morris with their fourth-round pick, didn’t either.

With his name not being called through the first three rounds, Morris began to worry a bit.

“I was on the phone with my dad,” Morris said, “and we were kind of sitting there with raised eyebrows, saying, ‘What’s going on?’”

Morris, who said he was driving to his apartment at the time, got his answer shortly thereafter. As they were talking, his dad interrupted to congratulate him. After the wait, Morris was thrilled with the news and relieved for the process to be over with.

With the 129th overall pick, just 11 slots after teammate Trent Mummey was taken by the Baltimore Orioles, the Milwaukee Brewers took Morris, a first baseman from Auburn.

“He was too hard to pass up,” said Bruce Seid, scouting director. “We liked him a lot out of high school. We’ve known him a long time. … He fits the profile of what a first baseman should look like.”

Morris, who was previously drafted by the Red Sox in 2007, has an above-average bat all around with impressive raw power as a left-handed hitter. On the basepaths, he’s said to have better-than-expected speed.

Defensively, Morris has improved at first base and is considered athletic enough, with a good enough arm as well, to play a corner outfield spot.

Physically, he’s drawn comparisons to Brad Hawpe of the Colorado Rockies. And while he was a little overweight early in his college career, he has lost some weight recently and changed his body significantly.

Morris’ hometown, Huntsville, Ala., also happens to be the home of the Brewers’ Double-A affiliate in the Southern League, the Huntsville Stars.

But after waiting longer than expected to hear his name called Tuesday, the Huntsville native didn’t have his sights set on his hometown Minor League club.

“I would like to everything I can to not spend too much time in Huntsville. I’d like to get to Milwaukee as fast as possible,” Morris said. “I think I can bring a lot to that part of the organization.

“There are a lot of people in Huntsville that have followed me and my baseball career. Hopefully, I’ll get to play in front of those fans here in the next year or so.”

Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com.