NORTH SHORE NOTES
On The Farm: Nyjer Morgan
By Joe Giardina

Chances are you have already seen the play on ESPN. The play that proved center fielder Nyjer Morgan made the right choice when he decided to give up hockey and play professional baseball. The play that made most fans forget about all the Web Gems Rajai Davis has made since being traded to San Francisco. The play that made the Pirates happy they drafted him in the 33rd round of the 2002 draft.

With the bases loaded and two outs, Houston Astros' third baseman Ty Wigginton drove the ball 400 feet to deep center field. Morgan broke on the ball at full speed and made a Willie Mays-esque over the shoulder catch at the wall, leaving the 35,000-plus fans in attendance at Minute Maid Park in shock.

"I don't know how he caught the ball," manager Jim Tracy said after the game. "That's pretty much an incredible play. I really don't know how you would describe that. It's as good a catch as you can make. Willie Mays once made a catch like that, and I'm not sure Nyjer had as much room to work with as Willie did."

With that catch, Morgan has helped the Pirates do something they haven't done in 15 years - garner attention from the Pittsburgh media in September. Not an easy task after the Steelers kicked off their season earlier this month.

While the route Morgan took to Wigginton's fly ball was perfect, the route he took to get to the big leagues wasn't as scripted.

When he was 16 he moved from his hometown of San Francisco, CA to play junior hockey in Canada. For four years he played at the junior level, even having a brief stint playing at the major junior level for the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League. But when his daughter was born when he was 20-years-old, he exchanged his skates for spikes and enrolled at Walla Walla College in Washington, where he was spotted by scouts.

His speed is what made him successful on the ice, and it is what allows the 27-year-old to stand behind second base, daring batters to try to hit it over his head. It is also what allows him to be aggressive on the base paths. In single A ball at Hickory in 2004, Morgan swiped 55 bases in 134 games. In his minor league career, he has stolen 187 bases in 431 games. Also as impressive, he has only grounded into seven double plays in five seasons.

The 6'0", 170 pound Morgan can also handle the bat, as he has hit a combined .294 for his minor league career.

In late-August, the Pirates saw enough of Morgan to call him up to be the everyday center fielder and lead-off hitter for the remainder of the season. With Andrew McCutchen waiting in the wings, no one is sure where Morgan fits into the future of the Pirates outfield. But for now, he is taking advantage of his opportunity and giving Pirates' management something to think about in the off-season.