Phillies Sign Free Agent Pitcher

By Jon Paul Hoornstra

Contributing Sports Writer

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MT Morrissey has worn two different uniforms in the last year without leaving the state of New Jersey.

After his senior season at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (in Trenton) in 2025, Morrissey was not selected in the amateur MLB Draft in July. A 5.03 ERA in 15 games for the Highlanders wasn't enough to earn a call in any of the 20 rounds.

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Morrissey signed with the independent Trenton Thunder of the MLB Draft league, joining other free agents fresh out of college for a chance to improve their stock as free agents.

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The Philadelphia Phillies took notice when the right-hander went 3-0 with a 3.94 ERA in eight games last summer. Some of his peripheral stats — 7.3 hits per nine innings, 3.4 walks per nine — were also better-than-average for the league.

Now, Morrissey will head south down I-95 to Philadelphia on a minor league contract for the 2026 season, he announced Tuesday on his own Instagram account.

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"Excited to announce I have signed with the Philadelphia Phillies Organization!" Morrissey wrote. "Thank you to all my family, friends and coaches who have supported me over the years. I am blessed to have such great people in my life. It’s been a long, difficult path to get to this point. Without you, this wouldn’t have been possible.

"Thank you to the Phillies for taking a chance on me and giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. Excited to get to work!"

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New Jersey Tech was actually Morrissey's third stop as a collegian. He previously played for Bryant University (2022-24) and Georgetown (2021). The 23-year-old native of Portsmouth, R.I. went 7-9 with a 5.98 ERA in 59 NCAA games.

According to an Instagram post by the Tread Athletics training facility, Morrissey was clocked throwing 96-98 mph as recently as last week.

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The Phillies won the National League East in 2025 for the second consecutive season. They lost to the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers in a four-game NL Division Series.

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