Brewers designate Hunter Morris for assignment

For a couple of years, it seemed as though Hunter Morris was the first baseman of the future for the Brewers. Those thoughts were especially strong after a 2012 campaign in Double-A that saw him hit .303/.357/.563 with 28 home runs.

Today, Hunter Morris was designated for assignment as fallout from the Yovani Gallardo trade. The Brewers needed the 40-man roster spot to put Luis Sardinas and Corey Knebel on the team.

Despite the Brewers running out players like Yuniesky Betancourt, Alex Gonzalez, Lyle Overbay, Mark Reynolds, Juan Francisco and Sean Halton at first base over the past two years, the one player they never gave a shot was Morris. In fact, he has yet to even receive a major league call-up, even in September when rosters expand.

The 26-year-old left hander always had a strong showing when it came to power, but never showed a real prowess for getting on base. And his power showings weren't Joey Gallo 40-HResque. He was hitting 20-25 homers a year, usually. Before his 2012 campaign, he was getting on base at around a .300 clip. After 2012, he was closer to .320. Improved, but not good enough. His propensity for striking out didn't help either.

It's a little unexpected to see Morris taken off the 40-man -- one would perhaps have expected Hector Gomez to be removed as Luis Sardinas takes his role. That may just indicate how down the Brewers have gotten on Morris, however.