Former Reservoir baseball pitcher Cody Morris reflects on trade to the New York Yankees

Jan. 17—By Jacob Steinberg — jsteinberg@baltsun.com

January 17, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Only 220 miles separate Reservoir High School and its baseball field from Yankee Stadium.

Few can say they made the journey from one pitching mound to the other. However, former Reservoir right-handed pitcher Cody Morris can.

Morris, a 2014 Reservoir graduate who played parts of the past two seasons with the Cleveland Guardians, was acquired by the New York Yankees on Dec. 26 in a trade for outfielder Estevan Florial.

"I was at my parents' house in Maryland and I got the call from Cleveland," Morris said. "I felt mixed emotions, excited but sad to leave some really good people behind in Cleveland. I think it's a great opportunity for me, so there's always that level of excitement to come with it."

The trade brings Morris closer to home, offering family and friends the opportunity to see him play more often. Morris hasn't pitched at Camden Yards in his career and is looking forward to potentially pitching in his home state. The Yankees play two series in Baltimore April 30 to May 2 and July 12-14.

Morris was a senior on Reservoir's 2014 state championship team. He played collegiately at the University of South Carolina before being drafted by Cleveland in the seventh round of the 2018 MLB draft.

Morris made his major league debut on Sept. 2, 2022, against the Seattle Mariners. In Cleveland, Morris played in parts of two major-league seasons with a 3.41 ERA in 13 appearances, including five starts.

Playing in New York offers a far different environment than Cleveland. Morris recalls an "intense environment" at Yankee Stadium as a member of the Guardians during the 2022 American League Division Series.

"Cody is a super down-to-earth person," Reservoir baseball coach Adam Leader said. "Even in the halls of Reservoir when there's a possibility of him getting drafted and even the day after the state championship and he pitched so well, he's just another guy in the hallway. He doesn't want the spotlight; he doesn't need the spotlight. We did a little 2014 state championship reunion over Christmas break and we were at a restaurant. On the way home I said, 'It's pretty cool that nobody knew a Yankee pitcher was just in that restaurant.' That's just the kind of person he is, just so down-to-earth."

Morris said he's eager to learn from his new teammates, something that doesn't come as a surprise to his high school coach.

"He's going to be one of the guys in the clubhouse and want to get to know and hang out with the other guys," Leader said. "I think that's what makes him really great is because he is just a behind the scenes hard worker and doesn't need that spotlight on him. He just goes in and gets the job done. He works hard and is a really good competitor."

Morris and Leader's relationship began far before his four years at Reservoir when Morris attended Leader's youth camps. Calling his former coach after the trade, Leader, a die-hard Yankee fan, joked he didn't believe it until also speaking with Morris' wife. At a "loss for words," Leader was excited that one of his former players would now wear the pinstripes of his favorite team.

Through Morris' postgraduate baseball journey, he's kept that close connection with Leader and the Reservoir program.

"Certainly, I can't take even close to all the credit for myself. Having a coach like Leader in high school who always believed in me, always backed me and gave me every opportunity to blossom, I'm forever grateful to him," Morris said. "I hope in the future that maybe when I'm done playing, I can give back to our community like Leader has done for the Reservoir program. It's a lot about believing and having people to believe in yourself. I'm so grateful to Leader and all the coaches that I've had through travel ball all the way through college."

That constant belief has helped Morris navigate through the trials and tribulations of his career, becoming an inspiration for many young Howard County baseball players.

"It really hasn't set in that much that I am an inspiration to people," Morris said. "I always think of when I was young, looking up to T.J. Pipik. He was at Reservoir before me. Looking up to him and seeing how he went about his business, what a great player he was at Reservoir. It's hard to believe that I am an inspiration to kids. I'm very blessed to be here. I just hope that I can continue to inspire kids to give back and keep promoting the Howard County sports culture in general. Help other kids fulfill their dreams, like I've fulfilled mine."

Morris hopes his career path shows any up and coming players in the county that the pinnacle of the sport is within their reach.

"I would have never imagined being where I am now," he said. "It's not about where you're from. You don't have to be from Texas, California, Florida or Georgia, wherever it might be, to make it or be good. Guys in Howard County can do it. There are good players. The talent is growing."

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