Christopher Morel's struggles showing during first few weeks in Tampa Bay

Christopher Morel has not yet been up to speed since he has arrived in St. Petersburg. During the past two weeks in a Rays' uniform, his hitting has not reached the level Tampa Bay requires to succeed.

In 13 games, Morel is currently batting .104 with an OPS of .461. His on-base percentage is sitting at .232, as he has struck out 15 times, averaging at least one per game. He has just five hits so far with Tampa Bay, and that has led to only two RBI, both coming on two solo home runs he has hit. He is also hitless in the last three games in 11 at-bats. In fact, Morel has hits in just three games so far in August.

The month of August so far has not been kind to him. Grant it, there are still 15 games left in the month, but it has arguably been the young player's worst stretch of games to date in 2024.

Morel was a high proile name in Chicago as an electric player who could provide a spark at any time. However, so far that has not been the case in Tampa Bay, and discipline could be the key, as he has struck out in nine games and has two strikeouts in five of those games.

His whiff rate is a red flag that marks this discipline trouble, as it is in the sixth percentile of Major League Baseball.

Development is hard to do late in a season, and it may take an offseason to get Morel up to speed so he can deliver his heroics and become more well-rounded offensively in 2025. It is something that Tampa Bay can really depend upon with a whole new looking team heading into next season.